lady in Red, once more for the last time

I have received the final dvd of the film,
my kickstarter reward for "Red Thread"!
Poetry, operatic music, and a tale of a strong woman and the choices she made, good, bad, and ugly.
I may not watch it often, but it is a stirring video.
It is also an award-winning film, having earned the New York State Council on the Arts Film and Media Grant. That enabled the team (Duston Spear, producer; Michael Minard, music composer; Ann Casapini, singer) to truly fine-tune the piece. That fine-tuning included a slight name change: "Red Thread: The Prisoner and The Painter".
I am so proud of them.

Thank You, also,
for a birthday gift
from beyond all time.

lady in Red

When I backed this film in October of 2011, with funds from Mama's estate, it was my youngest brother who was on my mind. I had originally written:
I look forward to sharing news of this film with my youngest brother. I don't know how many years in the future until his return, but this work of art may give him inspiration. The reason this one snagged my attention? This brother's birthday is in another few days and he's on my mind.

Today, I just watched a rough cut of the video, with the music, on Vimeo. I cannot share that here, but I can repeat the words of encouragement I sent to the project leader.
Nicely done! I just watched the video on Vimeo and was quite impressed. I hadn't known what to expect, but I do believe your technique of comparison of the literal and figurative prison is a winner. Can't wait to see the final cut!

I will await the final version, with much pride for the great work being done.

up the creek, with a good paddle

Sen3Productions completed their film in December of last year, thanks to me and the other four kickstarter backers. I received the dvd in the mail just a few days ago and finally made time to truly sit and watch.
Most impressive and gratefully real.
I sent the following to the makers of "Allegheny Creek".
fliss wrote on March 12, 2012
I have just finished watching your film on dvd. Wow.
When I provided support to your project, I had only the knowledge that a man was seeking redemption. I had not expected the story itself to so closely parallel that of my youngest brother. When he is released, I will be sure to have him view it.
BTW, not all Southern accents are as thick as those of others. I'm a Georgia peach, but not a Southern belle, and appreciate the opportunity to to dispel stereotypes. :-)
Again, thank you for the dvd and do keep making strong films such as this. Difficult subject matter needs a firm voice.

Apparently, they must have been right there in kickstarter at the time, as the writer immediately replied!
Sen3Productions wrote on Mar 12, 2012
Faustina,
Thank you so much for the kind words, I actually laughed when we watched the behind the scenes footage and said. "Oh no, I believe one of our sponsors is a Georgia peach and I hope she doesn't take that the wrong way."
I'm very sensitive to accents so I can tell a peach from a belle, but most New Yorkers just hear twang and assume its all the same. That was why I wanted to be sure not to just blurt out a "southern accent" and made sure to study the appalachian accent in particular. I stressed soooo much to Marcin that southern dialects vary and it needs to be distinct, so I was happy that he was able to come through (and hopefully I did as well) :)
You are the second person to say this story hit home, so that really touches me as a writer. It's good to know the story can speak to even ONE person let alone two, so thank you again.
All the best to you and to your brother.
Always,
Sashia

Nice, but also sad, to know others can relate to the story.

venturing out on the road to rehab

Yesterday, the thirty-nine backers of this project, received good news!

Update #2
Dec 11, 2011
You backed a fantastic event!
Hello Kickstarter backers,
Just wanted to let you know that the Venturing Out event you funded, "The Castle" -- originally called "Road to Rehabilitation" -- was a fantastic hit when it was performed last Thursday evening. I thought you might like to read a little bit of the publicity the event generated, to see the enthusiastic reception to our cause, namely, to help men and women achieve economic independence after incarceration.
http://www.myfoxboston.com/dpp/morning/venturing-out
http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/editorspick_mobile/x1285894671/True-Stories-The-Castle-tells-of-life-after-prison
Thank you very much for your visionary support of this project. It is greatly appreciated!
Laura Winig, Executive Director, Venturing Out

The presentation at Babson College, of ex-offenders reading the dramatic monologues of other ex-offenders, had been a success for all involved. Venturing Out, the group that, with the aid of the college, educates soon-to-be-released prisoners on how to be entrepreneurs, gained much positive publicity and, hopefully, more financial support to bring their teachings to hundreds of other prisoners in the Massachusetts. The audience, which included some at-risk youth, gained knowledge from the panel discussion after the dramatic readings.
And all viewers, both at the live reading and of these videos posted on vimeo.com, walk away with a more realistic vision of the bad choices which land people like themselves in prison - and how to better accept the proud new taxpayers back into society... and keep them there.

allegheny creek

When you go to the kickstarter page, the tagline tells you right away that this is a serious piece. A man, newly released from prison, is trying to start over with his estranged family.
Why he went to prison is not the focus.
He performed a crime, did his time, and is trying to be a better man.
This story is from the perspective of the mother of his son. Written by, and starring, Sashia Dumont, and directed by Paul Robinson, Sen3Productions is clearly a family affair. I expect the finished film to have a story with a lot of heart, a lot of hope, and a large dose of reality.
I seem to be finding these prison projects quite a bit lately... or maybe they are finding me. This makes the third one I've backed in as many weeks. (You can see here and here.)
I look forward to seeing the film, though I'll have to wait for the postman to deliver.
I'm sure these folks in New York will.
It was a close call on the funding, but my last-minute $50 has done its job.

road to rehabilitation: dramatic monologues by ex-offenders

The good folks at Venturing Out have taken on "The Castle", to perform live on December 8 at the Sorenson Center for the Arts.
Why did I choose to be a backer of this kickstarter project from Massachusetts?
Especially since it had already reached its funding goal, meaning the show would go on?
Well, the theatrical work they are performing was written by four ex-convicts about trying to regain a life in American society, after doing time in New York prisons.
The group which is performing the theatrical work teaches entrepreneurship and business skills to soon-to-be ex-convicts, so they can be self-employed owners of micro-businesses when they leave the prison walls.
The off-Broadway play will be performed at a college which has the #1 MBA program for entrepreneurship in the United States.
All of that is quite impressive, but why did I join in?
My youngest brother is in prison, and has been since 2007. One day in 2020, if not before, he will be released on parole and will need to find employment.
I am concerned about his ability to do so.
This project gives me hope that his future will be brighter than his past.

the red thread

Duston Spear and Michael Minard are crafting a film about a woman in prison. Actually, about a woman serving thirty years to life behind bars.
And they're doing it with poetry and operatic music.
Wow.
What woman? What did she do? How long has she been in prison?
We aren't told any of that. The film to introduce the project on kickstarter indicates that she has been locked up for about thirty years, so far. That means she's been in prison for more than half of her life.
My youngest brother is in prison and has been for four years now. He has nine more years ahead of him, unless he is fortunate enough to earn parole before 2020.
I think this is going to be an interesting ride.