A Door Has Closed--So We're Building A Window
I want to tell you a story about Beth.
Beth shared a photo of three lit candles on our page yesterday morning as part of our Wave of Light Remembrance, along with an eloquent post about her losses. She didn't realize that her post would be seen by her friends and family.
Her post was met with hearts and hugs and beautiful words of support and love from her loved ones. Some didn't know she'd had a loss- those three candles against the rising sun were the first they'd heard of her struggle.
Afterwards, she said she felt a weight had been lifted. What a powerful thing to witness on a day of remembrance.
Yesterday we shared 106 photos from mothers and fathers and grandparents who remembered their lost children. Some were months old, some were just a few weeks into pregnancy, and a couple were embryos. The wave of light shining on our page reflected the love and grief of parents of every kind. It was an honor to be a part of.
If you've been following our journey on social media, you'll know that it's been an exciting few months of production for Don't Talk About the Baby. Our Kickstarter campaign funds sent us on some amazing shoots and we've filmed some critical interviews for the documentary.
We also had our first public filming event, which is a cornerstone of our outreach efforts. It meant so much to be able to meet some of our followers and film their stories. Make sure to check out the videos as we continue to upload more to our Youtube channel.
This is an independent documentary, and really a community effort, so we've always been very open with where we are in fundraising. To date, we've raised about $31,000 of our $473,000 budget. The plan has been to fund this production through grants, sponsorships and crowdfunding.
Sadly, this week we found that one of the largest grants we were hoping for was not able to select us this cycle. While we've got a couple more in the works, this is going to substantially limit our production schedule. We've got a few more shoots booked with the remainder of our Kickstarter funds, but pretty soon we'll have to postpone the remainder of our production schedule until we can bring in more funds.
So, what does this mean?
Is this the end of DTATB? Is the film still going to be made?
The answer is a resounding YES! We believe that people can change how our society talks about pregnancy loss and infertility, and our documentary will be a tool in making that happen.
We are passionate about raising awareness and empowering you to raise your voices and tell your stories. We will continue to fight to make this film. As passionate as we are about this subject, we're also dedicated and resourceful indie filmmakers, and we're going to find new ways to make this documentary.
This might mean another crowdfunding campaign. It might mean building new partnerships and finding new eyes for the project.
What it means the most is that we need your help!
This is your movie- it tells your stories and gives a voice to your journey. Some of you contributed to our Kickstarter campaign over the summer. Some of you shared it with your friends and family. We're asking for your help once again.
To continue down this road and keep making this movie, we need shares. We need likes, views and most importantly, we need donations. We need to send a message to the world that this project matters to thousands of people, and there's a growing body of people calling for this film.
Beth's story is exactly what this documentary is about. Beth is a woman who may have shared her losses with others before, but yesterday opened herself up to the world and was met with love.
Sharing stories is how we're going to take the stigma away. One story at a time, we're going to shatter the taboo and tear away every cultural pressure to keep silent in the face of loss.
Let's show the world that we're not satisfied with silence anymore.
Let's show them that our stories deserve to be told, and be met with support.
Let's make a movie.
Ann
