The Story:
Midge keeps things alive.
The small gas station she owns
somewhere in the midst of coal mining country, Pennsylvania, is impeccably kept,
bustling with colors and life, as much as Midge herself is bustling with information
and stories about the land whenever customers stop by.
When she finds her companion, a yellow canary, at the bottom
of his cage, she sets out into the woods to right the situation, equipped with a
strange harpoon-like tool and the birdcage. But deep in the woods, close to the mines, Midge finds another
creature in a cage - a man, trapped in a car. He is hanging on to the last threads of life, begging Midge to help
him.
As Midge begins to free him, she finds more and more clues to decipher the man's situation. A knife
sticks out of a tire, he is handcuffed to the steering wheel, a crusted wound
reaches down his neck. But then Midge finds another object in the depth of the car that makes her question everything about the man, and herself.
The Filmmakers:
Marie Schlingmann - Director/Co-Writer
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Marie is a New York City-based director and screenwriter. She
has written and directed two short fiction films, The Death of Hercules (2012) and Lawn Care (2014) featuring Amy Hargreaves. Marie wrote and produced
Samantha Buck's short film, Glacial Erratics
(2013).
With a background in photography, Marie holds a degree in American
Studies and Cultural and Gender Studies from Humboldt University in Berlin, Germany.
While in Berlin, she co-directed, edited and produced the documentary, The Reasons We Were Dangerous (2008).
Marie currently attends Columbia University's M.F.A. Film program
and is the recent recipient of the 2013 David Jones Memorial Award for Best Director.
Samantha Buck - Producer/Co-Writer
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Samantha is a New York City-based writer, director, producer
and actress. Her second feature, Best Kept
Secret, was a New York Times Critic's Pick and winner of a Peabody Award. It broadcast on PBS as the closing film in their award-winning series,
POV.
As an actress she was a regular on Law & Order: Criminal Intent and Stella. Other credits include: Third
Watch, David Milch's Big Apple, Golden
Boy, Blue Bloods, Six Degree and Sex and the City. Most recently, she appeared in the films Gayby, What Maisie Knew, and Hellbenders.
Samantha is a recent recipient of the Adrienne Shelley Finishing
Funds grant for female filmmakers. She is a graduate of New York University's Tisch
School of the Arts and currently attends Columbia University's M.F.A. Film program.
Kristin Frost - Producer
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Kristin Frost is a New York City-based producer and writer
with a passionate desire to tell stories with the power to change. She aspires
to capture stories of human truth with a poetic sense of
place, an ability to capture the beautiful and extraordinary moments of
everyday life, and a strong feeling for the eccentricities of character.
Prior to film, Kristin worked on
the business and creative sides of event production and marketing for UVA's Darden School of Business, the International Rescue Committee,
and the New York City-based co-working start-up REV.
Kristin has produced and 1st assistant directed several Columbia University short films, including Tramway, Within & Without, How Easily Broken and Kiss of Mint. She was awarded a Columbia University Film Fellowship and appointed Columbia
University Film Festival Coordinator in 2013-2014. Kristin holds a B.A. in
English & Creative Writing from the University of Virginia, and is pursuing
her M.F.A. in Creative Producing at Columbia University’s Graduate School of the Arts.
Giovanni Ferrari - Producer
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Giovanni was born in Brescia, Italy. Following a period of study in Brazil, he graduated with
a degree in Business Administration from the University Bocconi of Milan in 2004.
After a first work experience in Bangkok at the Italian Embassy of Thailand, Laos and Cambodia, he returned to Italy where he began his professional experience at the Mondadori publishing house .
In 2010, Giovanni completed a second degree in the Philosophy of Language at the
University of Milan while simultaneously, devoting himself to his aspirations in cinema by producing the
documentary Kinder Der Wende. He is currently pursuing an M.F.A. in Creative Producing at Columbia
University’s School of the Arts.
Carlos Valdes-Lora - Director of Photography
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Carlos is a New York City-based freelance cinematographer, originally from Miami, Florida. He holds a B.A. in Film & Media Studies from The Johns Hopkins University. In 2010, Carlos was a founding member of THE SPIRIT FARM, a collective of 8 artists, currently based in NY and LA, who are dedicated to creating films that push the boundaries and live on the outskirts of the norm. The Spirit Farm is committed to producing intellectually interesting, visceral and evocative work.
Carlos has worked extensively in both the narrative and commercial world, photographing for clients such NBC and Independent Film Project (IFP). In 2013, he was the Director of Phtography for several thesis shorts for Columbia University MFA filmmakers, including Making Magic, and The Stakeout. Not limited to short films, Carlos was notably the Key Grip on director Jeremy Saulnier's feature Blue Ruin, which premiered at the 2013 Cannes Director's Fortnight, winning the FIPRESCI Prize.
Christina Wright - Casting Director
Christina Wright has been in
casting for five years, working on both film and television. Credits
include Rubicon, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, Early Learnings and the upcoming Stealing Cars. Before casting, she was a talent agent.
Currently, she is the casting associate on the hit series Boardwalk Empire.
Why We Need Your Support:
Your support for this project will help us with all the critical pre-production and production costs necessary to bring Canary to life. Our funding goal of $8,000 will go towards the following:
- Production Design: Period vehicles and props (vintage prop car, oil painting, antique birdcages, etc.), wardrobe and special make-up effects, live (and stuffed) birds and the specific "design" of the natural environment are all crucial elements to the believability of Canary's world and make-up a large part of our budget.
- Transportation and Accommodations: We are NYC-based filmmakers but will be shooting in a remote and desolate location outside of the city. We will need to transport our cast and crew to our production location, as well as to and from our accommodations each day. Gas, rentals, tolls, etc. add up!
- Food: Making a movie is a exhilarating but challenging process and GOOD FOOD is not only essential to keep our energy up, but also a great morale booster! Your support will help feed everyone as we make this film; this is one of the simplest yet effective ways to show our team how much they're appreciated in helping making this film a reality.
- Equipment: While much of our equipment will come from Columbia's equipment house, there are resources we will need to secure in order to achieve the visual story and aesthetic as it exists in the director's minds-eye. Your donation will help us rent what we need to make this film beautiful!
Schedule:
We are currently in pre-production for
Canary – raising money, finalizing casting, securing locations and locking down an amazing crew. We plan to start shooting in early June for one week. Following wrap on
Canary, we will start the post-production phase of the film and aim to have a final cut by November 2014.
Canary will have its premiere in May 2015.
Other Ways You Can Help:
We realize not everyone may be able to support our film financially, but there are many other ways you can get involved.
- Spread the word by sharing our campaign with friends and family.
- "Like" and share the Canary Facebook page.
- If you are intrigued about our story and would like to write, blog or help promote the project in some way, we would love to hear from you!
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Word of mouth is such a vital part of storytelling and bringing vision to life. The value in it cannot be overstated and we appreciate you telling others about Canary.
Your support means so much - we truly cannot make this film without you! The Canary team thanks you for helping us make this film and allowing us to share our passion for this project with you.
