Kickstarter

Welcome to Detroit je t'aime's Kickstarter campaign! We’re a duo of French filmmakers and journalists, Nora Mandray & Hélène Bienvenu. We’re producing an interactive documentary about Detroit’s DIY spirit, and we need YOUR help to finish filming this Summer and bring Detroit je t'aime to the world this Winter. 

POUR ACCÉDER À LA VERSION FRANÇAISE DE NOTRE KICKSTARTER, CLIQUEZ ICI. Attention: il vous faudra revenir sur cette page si vous souhaitez contribuer.

PRESS UPDATE:

We've been featured in a couple of articles since we launched our campaign. Here's a selection:

* DETROIT JE T’AIME will be broadcasted on a website made up of a series of web pages or “screens.” Each screen will feature a video.

* When you decide you're finished with a page, you'll click on the next one. You'll be taken through the documentary at your own pace.

* At anytime, a “DIY toolbox” will be available in the corner of the screen. The “DIY Toolbox” will adapt itself to the story: guidelines and tools will suggest you to start similar projects depending on what's happening on the screen (be it a community garden, basic bike repairs, or an LED light project.) 

* You'll be able to share ideas from the film with your friends across social networks. 

* Through each screen/video, you'll have access to a different Detroit neighborhood -- historic background will be provided through datavisualization, interviews and/or archival footage.

Detroit je t'aime tells three interwoven stories about the future of shared resources and community-building in our post-industrial era:

1. Fender Bender, a female and LGBT bike shop, empowers its members through bike mechanics; this Summer they’ll kick off the first bicycle lending library in the "Motor City."

2. An urban farmer fights for racial justice in Detroit's food system, questioning white supremacy in a city that's +80% Black.

3. In Detroit’s most polluted zip code, an entire neighborhood is threatened to disappear under the nearby factory’ expansion -- they got one last resort left: create their own media to make the world more aware of their dangerous situation.

* If Facebook and other “social networks” shape our daily interactions, we’re slowly forgetting about the meaning of a real-life community. Detroit je t’aime will inspire you to become a maker and to connect outside of the Internet.

* Once coined the "Motor City," Detroit's industrial era is still hanging in its still-running factories as well as in its ruins. Yet today, there's a renaissance happening. Thanks to the consistent hard work that long-time Detroiters have been doing by staying in the city, by learning how to stick together and developing a stront DIY spirit, Detroiters have turned their city into a unique place, off-the-grid, that's attractive for creative people. The generation Y is moving to Detroit from all over, looking to make a difference. We came to the city for the same reason, in a quest for new values.

* We're all Detroiters: coming from the 20th century, we’ve inherited Henry Ford’s idea of industrial work. Today's recession has forced the art of craftsmanship to make a comeback --  in an effort to retrieve the authenticity of the pre-industrial era. For some, like our film's protagonists, the crisis is an opportunity to reimagine work, life, and ourselves. Our film tells the story of three groups of Detroiters, each with a strong and inspiring DIY attitude.

* In Winter 2010, we began pre-production on Detroit je t'aime. In August 2011, we moved to the "Motor City" for a whole year in order to make our film. We started to blog on detroitjetaime.com and we quickly gained interest from all over the world. Today we've built a community of over 2,000 followers across social networks. This was yet another proof for us that Detroit fascinates the whole world. 

* In Spring '11 we received a grant from the French Film Institute, which allowed us to spend hundreds of hours developing the story of the documentary. Documentary fundraising is a long process. Because we felt a sense of emergency around getting our story out, we dug into our own pockets to cover production costs once we moved to Detroit. Now, there are some hard costs we just won't be able to cover without your support. Our dream of bringing DETROIT JE T'AIME to everyone, anytime & anywhere via the Internet requires funding to work with web developers, flash designers and sound mixers, as well as to cover the ongoing costs of web hosting and internet bandwidth, continued production travel, and festival submissions. In order to make this project come true, we need YOU!

* Many captivating documentaries have been made and are being made on Detroit. Our project is going to be the first-ever interactive documentary set in Detroit. 

* In exchange for your pledge, you get a cool reward like T-shirts, hands-on workshops and much more: look on the right side to see all the goodies we've prepared for you!

* We believe that crowdfunding is an essential step in our project because Detroit je t'aime is made to be a true collaboration with our audience. 

* Wherever you are, it's easy to pledge a reward if you have an Amazon account. Kickstarter automatically connects you. For Europeans, remember: 1€ = $1.20

* Kickstarter is an "all or nothing" kind of platform. If we don't reach our goal, we won't get the money. Stats prove that for 100 likes on Facebook, there's usually only 1 donation. Your support is as important as spreading the word!

Here are a couple of suggestion to update your Facebook status/Tweets: 

• #DIY, #urbanfarming, #collcons #Detroit IS the city of tomorrow:  http://bit.ly/LOinxx. 
• From Motor City to #DIY city, a unique interactive #doc on #Detroit: http://bit.ly/LOinxx @detroitjetaime

In English:

The Huffington Post, 07/07/12: "'Two Frenchies' Love Detroit So Much They Make A Movie About It"

DBusiness Magazine, 07/09/12: "Detroit, Je t’aime: Documentary on Detroit’s DIY Spirit In the Works"

This Big City, 07/10/12: "Can Two French Transform Detroit?"

In French:

Garagisme Magazine, Winter 2012

"News From France: Monthly review of French news & trends", June 2012