Kickstarter

Hi all,
My sincere apologies for the long absence. We've been working hard on the editing of the film and have finished a 60 minute rough-cut at the end of March plus a new trailer.

If you have not already visited our official Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/riseofthephoenixfilm?ref=hl or go to the website blog page http://riseofphoenixdoc.com/category/blog/ please go there to catch up with our film. I have been posting progress updates there regularly; please like, post comments and share these links with your friends and family and spread the word.

In the next three or four months we will be actively fundraising for the post-production of the film by applying for grants and soliciting private donations. You have been a vital part of the Kickstarter campaign to make our China production a success. Would you please consider a new donation and continue your support to help us get to the finish line? There are two ways you can donate via the Chicago Filmmakers as instructed on the support page and your contribution is tax deductible. http://riseofphoenixdoc.com/about/support-the-film/

We will also have a private rough-cut screening for feedback in June, if you're in the Chicago vicinity and would like to attend, please email me at mtchao@comcast.net.

Exciting times ahead for "Rise of the Phoenix!" It has taken on a life of its own — growing and evolving constantly and we can't wait to bring it to the world for all to see. Here is our latest promo trailer. Enjoy!

Dear all,
The long awaited phase 2 production of Rise of the Phoenix is over. I returned to Chicago last Saturday, tired but very happy about the outcome and can’t wait to share the experience with you. For those who are on FaceBook, I hope you have a chance to follow my progress on the Rise of the Phoenix page though I discovered it was blocked one week after. With the intensity of the production schedule and other unexpected issues, I’ve been posting on my website the last couple of days to make up for lost time, and this is the latest entry which I’d like to share http://riseofphoenixdoc.com/the-story-of-ou-huaqing-the-dong-ethic-singer/

With an eye towards the next stage of post production I hope you’ll consider a contribution to a 1:1 matching grant I’ve received from a very generous donor — up to $5,000 by December 1st — potentially $10,000 to help fund the editing part of the film.
If you’d like to support or continue support of this project, the best way is to writes a check payable to Chicago Filmmakers (my fiscal sponsor)
Make sure on memo line write: Rise of the Phoenix project (to make sure it goes to my acct. since CF have 20 different projects to manage)
Send check to me: 625 Clinton Place, Evanston IL 60201 (to make sure I know the amount for the matching grant and I’ll send these checks collectively to CF)
All donations to Chicago Filmmakers are tax deductible and will get a receipt for your 2012 tax deduction.

Once again I'm eternally grateful to the kind foundations and family and friends who have partnered with me to making this leg of the journey possible. Furthermore an advance thank you to those who have supported or continue to support this project to bring it closer to the finishing line. I can’t wait to share the new stories to make Rise of the Phoenix complete.

In a little more than 2 weeks, I'll be heading back to China (8/28 to 9/22) for phase 2 production of Rise of the Phoenix.

In the past few weeks, I've reassembled my China team with a few new field producers — each with their own expertise and lots of enthusiasm. They have already set out to scout for new stories to add to the existing content for a more compelling documentary. Jason Wong, the DP (director of photography), is the continuity of the project.

We will use Beijing as our base. A potential factory girl story may lead us to Baoding city in Hebei Province about 2 hours by train south west of Beijing. Unlike modern economic zones like Shenzhen or Dongguan, Baoding is an old industrial city dated all the way back to 2,000 B.C. It now has one of the biggest plants producing the blades for wind turbine generators.

Another possibility may take us to Yunnan or Guizhou Provinces for a different kind of story. The beauty of documentary filmmaking is you never know where the stories take you — and I probably won't know till I get there. This makes me a little nervous but it’s also very exciting.

At the present rate of China’s transformation it has sent Lin Ying, its first woman astronaut, to outer space … its women athletes have broken more Olympic records … more women have become millionaires … but for those who live far from the epic centers of prosperity — what has changed for them? What prices are they willing to pay to pursue their dreams?

We will catch up with our “old friends” (already in the film) — Pu Ruixia the peasant girl; Lihua the lawyer and Zhu Xioli, the maid from Sichuan and will interview some new ones to shed light at this cross road of past oppression and present day opportunities. We will gather the rich voices of these women — yearning to be heard.

Thanks to kind supporters like you and the re-granting of the Long Family Foundation — the dream to continue the production of this project is imminently possible ... and for this I'm deeply grateful.

Dear all,
It’s been more that 3 months since my Kickstarter campaign. This update is long overdue and am delighted to give you a report on what’s happening on this end.

As you know, the money I’ve raised here will only cover a portion of the expenses to return to China for the next production phase. So I spent much of the last few months applying for grants and seeking interested NGOs for potential partnership.

I’m very happy to report that one of my earlier grantors saw your enthusiastic support for this project and re-pledged a $10,000 for the next phase! This is HUGE … and puts me much closer to my budget goal. In the last couple of weeks, I went ahead to renew my passport and contacted my China team for their availability for late summer. I also corresponded with a NGO to help me contact their China counterpart to screening stories, subjects and locations. The prep work has begun!

In the last few months, I’ve also worked with a couple of excellent editors on a rough cut from my existing footage — to explore the structure of the film and see if there’s enough materials to tell the stories. This exercise really helps to clarify my concept and see emerging threads for the narrative. It also allows me to see what footage and stories I must acquire to complete a fuller and richer final product.

The result is a 24 minutes rough cut that was screened a couple of weeks ago at the Kartemquin Films Lab, an excellent resource to garner feedback from the pros. I was very nervous, but the feedback was very positive and encouraging. It was an eye opening and humbling experience to hear the wisdom and constructive critiques from award-winning filmmakers.

So — never a dull moment. In the next few months, I’ll continue to fundraise and plan for the upcoming production. In case you haven’t seen my new website and trailer please visit http://riseofphoenixdoc.com/
Please also check quick updates posted on my Facebook link http://www.facebook.com/pages/Rise-of-the-Phoenix/259448307453667.

If you know of other funders, foundations and NGOs which can be potential resources for this project please let me know. Once again, I’m grateful for your partnership in this journey and we are one step closer to make this a reality!

Dear backers,

Just slightly more than 24 hours to the deadline — a few kind pledgers were still trickling in last night. Can we get more to join to push us closer to the $10,000 mark? That would be sweet.

 An international production is no small feat. After all the fees are verified and deducted by the Kickstarter administrators,  the amount raised through this campaign will cover a little less than half the budget to go back to China. You will probably ask how am I going to raise the rest of the funds to meet the budget?

 To share a bit of good news — last week, a family foundation invited me to apply for a grant because they believe in the cause. I will do so as soon as this is all wrapped up. In the next few months, I will continually seek out and apply for grants and foundations to meet the budget. And if you know of such resources, please let me know.

Going forward:
I encourage you and your friends keep spreading the word and to support us through my fiscal sponsor Chicago Filmmakers http://chicagofilmmakers.org/cf/content/rise-phoenix  for a tax-deductible donation. Be sure to specify it’s for “Rise of the Phoenix Project.”

 Please like my Rise of the Phoenix Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/pages/Rise-of-the-Phoenix/259448307453667
I will post work-in-progress, newsworthy articles on women in China and project updates there, and welcome your feedback and comments.You can also follow my Tweets on https://twitter.com/#!/phoenixdocu

 I will post my blogs regularly on my new website http://riseofphoenixdoc.com/ You can read some of my earlier behind-the-scene postings on phase 1 production in Beijing and Ningxia. I will continue to do so in my phase 2 production.

My Plans:
I’m planning to return to China the end of August or early September for a month. By that time, the finances  and crew will be in place. I’m hoping to finish the editing and post-production by the end of the year, enter some film festivals and release in Spring of 2013. The details will be posted later as we get closer, and you can follow us on the links mentioned above. Your DVDs will not be available till then.

 So… the prospect that “Rise of the Phoenix” can be a part of next year’s International Woman’s Day is not an impossible dream! I have to keep reminding myself that this is not a personal endeavor, this is a shared communal vision and journey that cannot be accomplished without all of your help.

Peace out and with gratitude,
May