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Funded! This project successfully raised its funding goal on October 12, 2011.

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We are raising money for a theatrical release of “Cargo,” an indie feature film that spreads awareness of the sex trafficking issue.

THE CAMPAIGN

We have dedicated the last two years of our lives to making “Cargo.” It’s a fictional feature film that deals with the issue of human trafficking — specifically, sex trafficking of young women into the U.S. According to the U.S. Department of State, over 17,000 women and children are smuggled every year into the Unites States alone. 

Our film is now finished and ready to hit the screen. With this campaign we are hoping to raise money to release “Cargo” in a theater in New York City in order to spread awareness of the issue of sex trade in our society. By producing a narrative feature with a compelling story about the sex trafficking, we are hoping to attract the attention of a much wider audience than the typical documentary film could reach. 

THE MOVIE

A young Russian woman, smuggled into America by human traffickers (Natasha Rinis), and a notorious Egyptian transporter, hired to drive her from the Mexican border to New York City (Sayed Badreya, “Three Kings,” “Iron Man,” “Independence Day”), form an unlikely bond that transforms them and threatens to derail the traffickers’ plans.

WHAT ARE WE RAISING THE MONEY FOR?

The film is now finished. Now we need to raise $23,700 to release it in a movie theater in New York City. We are hoping to open on October 21st at Quad Cinema, one of the oldest independent film venues in Manhattan. 

A theatrical release is very expensive. To bring “Cargo” to the New York audience, we need to rent the theater, advertise the screenings in New York City newspapers, hire a publicist, arrange press screenings, create a website, print and distribute posters and postcard, etc.

We will not recoup these expenses by selling tickets, but a theatrical release in New York will generate press attention and critical reviews that would help us bring our message to a much larger audience and open “Cargo” in other cities across America and around the world.

OUR SUPPORTERS

The release of “Cargo” is supported by a growing number of non-profit organizations, such as FAIR FundHuman Trafficking Awareness Council, Freedom Week, Captive Daughters, and COVA. We will be adding our partner non-profit organizations here as they join our campaign.

THE TEAM

The team behind “Cargo” consists of filmmakers who have consistently focused their attention on human rights issues. Our previous credits include the Oscar-shortlisted documentary, “Living in Emergency,” telling the story of “Doctors without Borders” (co-produced by Chris Cooper) and “Saints and Sinners,” an award-winning documentary about the struggle of gay Catholics who strive to be faithful to their religion (produced by Abigail Honor and Yan Vizinberg). 

Please look through the incentives on the right and contribute to our campaign to release “Cargo” theatrically. For more information about “Cargo,” please visit the film’s official website: cargomovie.com.

FAQ

  • CAST

    Natasha: Natasha Rinis
    Sayed: Sayed Badreya
    Lukasz: Philip Willingham 
    Misha: Alex Trubetskoy
    Val: Misha Kuznetsov


    CREW

    Directed by Yan Vizinberg
    Produced by Abigail Honor, Chris Cooper, Yan Vizinberg
    Written by Lee Peterkin, Yan Vizinberg, 
    Director of Photography: Yan Vizinberg
    Editor: Abigail Honor
    Music by Michael Whalen
    Re-recording Sound Mixers: Dominick Tavella, Jacob Ribicoff

    Sound Design & Supervision: Jacob Ribicoff

    Costume Designer: Nadezhda Fadeeva

    Last updated: Monday Sep 12, 9:55am EDT
234
Backers
$25,235
pledged of $23,700 goal
0
seconds to go

Funding period
Sep 12, 2011 - Oct 12, 2011 (30 days)

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  • Pledge $5 or more

    6 backers

    Eternal gratitude of our crew and of thousands of people trying to tackle human trafficking around the globe.

    Estimated delivery: Oct 2011
  • Pledge $10 or more

    57 backers

    Our eternal gratitude + a DVD signed by the director and actors.

    Estimated delivery: Nov 2011
  • Pledge $25 or more

    52 backers

    Our eternal gratitude + a DVD signed by the director and actors + personal “Special Thanks” credit in the film (we will add your name to the credits before the premier night).

    Estimated delivery: Oct 2011
  • Pledge $35 or more

    11 backers

    Our eternal gratitude + a DVD signed by the director and actors + personal “Special Thanks” credit in the film (we will add your name to the credits before the premier night) + a free download of the movie soundtrack CD (music composed by two-time Emmy Award-winning composer Michael Whalen, sample track: http://bit.ly/ogoPyh).

    Estimated delivery: Nov 2011
  • Pledge $50 or more

    29 backers

    Our eternal gratitude + a DVD signed by the director and actors + personal “Special Thanks” credit in the film + 2 tickets to a screening of “Cargo” in New York City!

    Estimated delivery: Oct 2011
  • Pledge $75 or more

    3 backers

    Our eternal gratitude + a DVD signed by the director and actors + personal “Special Thanks” credit in the film (we will add your name to the credits before the premier night) + a free download of the soundtrack (music composed by two-time Emmy Award-winning composer Michael Whalen, sample track: http://bit.ly/ogoPyh) + 2 tickets to a screening of “Cargo” in New York City + a free download of the 1080p high-definition copy of “Cargo” for your digital library!

    Estimated delivery: Dec 2011
  • Pledge $100 or more

    22 backers Limited (3 of 25 left)

    Our eternal gratitude + a DVD signed by the director and actors + personal “Special Thanks” credit in the film + 2 tickets to the PREMIER screening of “Cargo” in New York City!

    Estimated delivery: Oct 2011
  • Pledge $250 or more

    7 backers

    Our eternal gratitude + a DVD signed by the director and actors + personal “Special Thanks” credit in the film + 2 tickets to the premier screening of “Cargo” in New York City + 2 exclusive passes to the after-party with our cast and filmmakers.

    Estimated delivery: Oct 2011
  • Pledge $500 or more

    4 backers All gone!

    Our eternal gratitude + a DVD signed by the director and actors + personal “Special Thanks” credit in the film + 2 tickets to the premier screening of “Cargo” in New York City + 2 exclusive passes to the after-party with our cast and filmmakers + a WALK-ON part in our next feature film.

    Estimated delivery: Jul 2012
  • Pledge $1,000 or more

    1 backer Limited (1 of 2 left)

    Our eternal gratitude + a DVD signed by the director and actors + personal “Special Thanks” credit in the film + 2 tickets to the premier screening of “Cargo” in New York City + 2 exclusive passes to the after-party with our cast and filmmakers + a SPEAKING ROLE in our next feature film.

    Estimated delivery: Jul 2012
  • Pledge $1,500 or more

    0 backers

    Our eternal gratitude + a DVD signed by the director and actors + personal “Special Thanks” credit in the film + 2 tickets to the premier screening of “Cargo” in New York City + 2 exclusive passes to the after-party with our cast and filmmakers + information about your brand/company included in all press materials about the film.

    Estimated delivery: Oct 2011
  • Pledge $2,500 or more

    1 backer Limited (1 of 2 left)

    Our eternal gratitude + a DVD signed by the director and actors + personal “Special Thanks” credit in the film + 2 tickets to the premier screening of “Cargo” in New York City + 2 exclusive passes to the after-party with our cast and filmmakers + information about your brand/company included in all press materials about the film + an Associate Producer title in the film.

    Estimated delivery: Oct 2011
  • Pledge $5,000 or more

    0 backers Limited (2 of 2 left)

    Our eternal gratitude + a DVD signed by the director and actors + personal “Special Thanks” credit in the film + 2 tickets to the premier screening of “Cargo” in New York City + 2 exclusive passes to the after-party with our cast and filmmakers + information about your brand/company included in all press materials about the film + official Co-Producer title in the credits of “Cargo” and on IMDB.

    Estimated delivery: Oct 2011

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