Kickstarter

Hello!  My name is Mark Levine, a filmmaker living in Portland, Oregon and I need your help to seed my first feature film!

The film is based on a short story from You Are Not A Stranger Here by ADAM HASLETT (www.adamhaslett.net). After I read "The Beginnings of Grief," the second story in the collection, I was incredibly moved and determined to make this my first feature film. The film has come a long way since that night, and now is the time to make this happen, real time. I need your help to build a strong foundation, to seed this film and make it real. 

The Path So Far

The final year of film school at CalArts I decided to contact the author, Adam Haslett. After bouncing back and forth from publisher to agent, I finally got in touch with him through Facebook . We emailed a bit, I sent him a DVD of some of my work, and then we met in New York last March. We spent a few hours hashing out ideas and details; we completed the option agreement by May. All along, I'd been working on the adaptation of the short story into a full-length film. I graduated in May and in October, I held a small reading in Los Angeles. This past December, I packed the car and drove up the coast to make the film in Portland, Oregon. I've put together a great crew willing to make this portrait of youth, masculinity and intimacy into a beautiful film.

The Story

A 16-year old high school kid, Alex, finds his mother dead with her head in the oven.  A year later, his father is killed in a car accident.  He moves in with an older neighbor to "finish out school."  Back in school, he becomes obsessed with a local bully.  They reluctantly begin a sadistic relationship that takes a sexual turn. In the end, Alex discovers that the only way out of his pain is to go through it.  The film explores pain and grief, as we see not just Alex’s suffering but the hidden tragedies that surround him.  Through the lens of one boy’s pain, we see the fear of intimacy, masculinity, and death in modern America. 

You can read the original story here.

The Money

All of your donations go directly into the production budget of the film.  Immediately, I need help with auditions in Los Angeles and Portland to find Alex.  Beyond that, your donation will be used for: location scouting, fees & permits, equipment rentals, feeding the cast and crew, props and costumes, digital storage, and the million little details that pop up throughout the process. 

If we don't meet the goal of $15,000, you will not be charged anything, so there is no risk in pledging.  If we do meet the goal (!!!), then your donation will be charged.  Thank you in advance!

I believe strongly in the power and necessity of community in the filmmaking process.  We cannot make films alone.   When you donate, it does not just benefit my project, but also the broader community.  

Thank you.

Mark Levine (Writer/Director), Norbert Shieh (Cinematographer), and Ian Samuels (Assistant Director) have worked together on several short films together. 

Here are some images from other projects: