Kickstarter

*NOTE: OUR FUNDRAISING GOAL IS ACTUALLY 15,000$ BUT BECAUSE KICKSTARTER IS ALL OR NOTHING WE MADE IT 5,000 TO ENSURE SOME KIND OF FUNDS.

THE STORY

“19”, a young man born and raised in the Dominican diaspora that is Washington Heights falls for a deaf girl. Yasiris. The two overcome obstacles together despite their differences, while simultaneously portraying a view of what it’s like growing up in Washington Heights. Showcasing the difficulties of growing up with the boundaries of stereotypes and how difficult it can be to move past them.
This film will attempt to show the audience what it is like to be deaf by taking away the sense of hearing during parts of the movie. This will happen whenever the movie’s perspective is being portrayed through a deaf character.

INSPIRATION

Some see an idea as a spark that comes out of nowhere, while others, like me, become entranced by something we see, hear or live. This seed, planted in our subconscious, grows with experiences and moments until it becomes inspiration.

Being raised in Washington Heights (uptown Manhattan) but having the opportunity, thanks to my mother who woke up at 5 am to drive me to school and then head to work, to attend school upstate provided me with a unique lense with which I was able to analyze and understand my surroundings. Washington Heights has left an imprint in me, a love and connection to the Dominican community, but having the opportunity to educate myself in an affluent school and community, left me with the understanding of the ways stereotypes have shaped the ways others view us but more importantly, the ways in which Dominican Americans view themselves. This perspective was essential for the creation of this project. It has given me the ability to understand and express the way of life growing up in Washington Heights.

Meeting my best friend, during my first year in college turned out to be a life changing experience, which would provide the main idea for this film. When I met his deaf brother, I became fascinated with sign language, and with their help and support, I began my path towards becoming part of this community and culture. I am now fluent in sign language, and currently work as sign language interpreter. Like the Dominican culture, the deaf community is still elusive, filled with stereotypes and assumptions.

THE FUNDS

The production team will attempt to make a high quality film with a very limited budget. After much research we have concluded that our goal of $15,000 is the minimum amount it will take to shoot this film on a high quality camera by experienced cinematographers.

The film will be shot in 14 days with cost break down as follows:

• $11,200 for camera rental and cinematography services. Cost per day: $800.

• $2,200 payment to the assistant director who will be responsible for organizing scenes; keeping us on shooting schedule; and general research on shooting permits in Manhattan and other miscellaneous tasks.

• $1,600 for cast and crew meals for 16 hour of shooting days and miscellaneous and post production costs.

The director and actors have agreed to work on this project without payment, as we are all inspired and excited about the film.

Kickstarter is all-or-nothing, if we don’t make our goal of $15,000 and times runs out, we get nothing. Please consider making a donation and spread the word! Any amount will help us get closer to our goal.

OUR CAST

Robert Corroza is the creator, writer, producer, manager and main character of the film. 

Cyn’s acting debut.  Cyn is a successful model with well over half a Million views on youtube videos and almost 30,000 followers on twitter. (http://www.youtube.com/user/cynnnsantana).  

(Google: Cyn Santana)

Altagracia Guzman has been in films like "Raising Victor Vargas" "I Heart Huckabees" and "Fighting" with Channing Tatum. (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1185052/).

THANK YOU for visiting our project page! If you have any questions about the project, or if you want to be involved in any way, send me a message at robertcorroza@hotmail.com