Kickstarter

 I want to begin by saying thank you!                                                                           Thanks to everyone who generously have supported our Kickstarter site. Your contributions have / are so important to the success of our film. KICKSTARTER take a % so please lets keep going so the film gets a full amount!!!!  I hope now if we can just pull in a bit more money during these last days that then I will actually be able to go and represent the film at the San Sebastian Film Festival next week and cover our costs for submission elsewhere. We are constantly  asked at Q & A's; "How is your film received in Spain!"  Now, we  will be able to respond. In addition with all your support we will not only go for Oscar nomination, but the DGA (DIrectors Guild Awards) and the the Producer Awards and the BAFTA's!  Hopefully people in Spain will help too with the GOYA's and in Mexico the ARIEL's  These funds -and all your support make all this possible. With this visibility, we can get the film seen by many more people.  THANK YOU!

Mexican Suitcase is a 90 minute feature documentary that tells the incredible story of the recovery of 4,500 negatives taken by photographers Robert Capa, Gerda Taro and David Seymour during the Spanish Civil War, with an extraordinary score by composer, Michael Nyman. The film reveals the journey of these lost negatives from France to Mexico. Not History Channel! Nor a made for TV doc, our film is rooted in the present.. its about why we care about the past or should care... I became involved in the story early on and was able to recover the negatives for the families of the photographers and I personally returned them to their estates in New York. The story made the front page of newspapers the world over. It remains this fascinating mystery.  I was able to secure the rights to make this film and  three years later, here it is!! The film is getting recognition, being seen at festivals as Karlovy Vary, San Sebastian, Morelia FF, LALIFF,DOCMIAMI and Dubai FF and we are still waiting to hear from many others. But to get it out there we need your support ! 

DOCUWEEKS has been expensive. We have had to pay our percentage of participating ( $17,000), make a trailer, poster, postcards and hire a publicist! it all adds up to $45,000. We have received some initial donations and generous in-kind support too but we still need to raise a further $20,000. Every dollar helps!  

The Mexican Suitcase, is a film about photography and memory. Its about exile, and about identity and perhaps most importantly its about integrity. People who stood up against fascism. Some fought, some took photographs. These photographers, would become icons of the twentieth century -  They photographed with a Leica and changed the way we saw and understood war.  We saw their photos in Life Magazine then and they remain poignant and reflective of all conflicts, today. All three photographers would die while documenting wars. The Mexican Suitcase tells their story. It is is also a film about the power of memory.  It's a great story and asks... Who owns our histories?  Why does the past matter today?  Should we care? 

Funds raised by Kickstarter will be used to help the film with DOCUWEEKS  in Los Angeles and New York. As a result of these 2 week screenings, The Mexican Suitcase will qualify for academy consideration.  Help us please to reach beyond our goal and take this opportunity to the next level !  BAFTA, DGA,  GOYA  DPA,  and ARIEL's. 

THANK YOU! 

Trisha Ziff - Director. 

PHOTOGRAPH: Robert Capa, © Courtesy of International Center of Photography/Magnum Photos.