Hello Everyone -
We're just a few days away from the start of the 2009 Independent Film Week and are very excited to introduce our film Hungry in America to the New York market for the first time. Hungry in America is a feature-length documentary that takes an unflinching look at the root causes behind the sobering reality of hunger in the US, asking tough questions about why a nation that could feed all its people has failed to do so. Weaving cinema verité portraits of the hungry with expert testimony and shocking archival footage, the film builds to a startling conclusion – that hunger in the U.S. is man-made and therefore solvable.
The film will take viewers on an affecting verité journey into the surprisingly diverse lives of hungry Americans throughout the country: from a prosperous suburb in Maryland, to an urban center in Pennsylvania and a military base in Texas. It will follow a courageous group of struggling mothers who went from being marginalized and ignored to forever impacting hunger legislation by confronting Congress and the USDA directly in Washington D.C., just as a crucial piece of hunger legislation, the Child Nutrition Reauthorization Act, faces a tough fight for funding before Congress.
We are looking forward to IFW because while the project has already generated a lot of interest among broadcasters and distributors in the US, we look forward to meeting with a range of broadcasters, potential funders and distributors - both domestic and international - with experience and the potential to enable us make the film. Getting feedback from experienced programming and distribution executives at this stage in development is invaluable to our process.
We recently raised a portion of our production budget (thanks to our participation in the THE GOOD PITCH at Silverdocs in June) but still have a significant portion of our budget to raise and we are hopeful that IFW will introduce us to potential partners and funders. IFW is really serving as a taking off point for us because we are going into official production soon after it ends - however - we are still looking for additional funding so that we can follow the stories above, as well as others that illustrate how pervasive, yet solvable, this problem is. We feel our project is a perfect fit for the many broadcasters and financiers we'll meet because the film deals with an issue that needs to be fixed immediately - nearly 38 million Americans are hungry,14 million of which are children. This number will continue to grow if we don't do something about it NOW - which is why the film will be the centerpiece of a major outreach campaign intended to build community awareness and action on a mass scale, resulting in true social change.
These are obviously very challenging times, for everyone, but especially in the documentary world. We're excited about the discussions, meetings and networking opportunities we'll have next week. We're optimistic because we have a compelling character-driven film about a subject that's timely and relevant, and we have assembled a great team. We have been developing the film for about a year and are poised to make a film that will have tremendous impact - we know the connections we make at IFP will be valuable as we forge ahead.
As alumni of IFW, we know the impact this week can have on a film. We wish all the IFW participants and especially the GOOD PITCHERS the best of luck. And we look forward to sharing our experience with you.
# posted by Kristi Jacobson @ 9/18/2009 10:36:00 AM
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