Toasted Marshmallows is a performance, documentary film and
community building project that explores
what it means to be a mixed race woman in North America today. Created by
artists Anoushka Ratnarajah and Marcelitte Failla, Toasted Marshmallows is an
effort by and for mixed self identified women to share our stories and to fill
in the gaps in conversations about race and culture with our complexities and
contradictions.
In August and September of 2013 we were enabled by
incredible community support to travel across Canada and the United States to
interview our families and other mixed race women in and engage in life
changing conversations about race, culture, history, belonging and love.
Now we have the unexpected and exciting opportunity to
travel to Sri Lanka in January, to further explore the themes in our film--
particularly Anoushka’s cultural and personal history. We will be traveling and
following Anoushka and her father as they visit Jaffna for the first time in
their lives and explore their place of ancestry together. And we need your help
to continue this journey and work!
Your contributions will give us the opportunity to delve
even more deeply into the subjects of our film, including ancestry and
belonging. We have an incredible chance to expand the view of our film, and see
what it really means “to go back home” when you’ve never actually been there
before.
What
We Need & What You Get
Your donations will help us cover the cost of airfare, which
at minimum is $1300 per person round trip from Vancouver to Columbo, about
$4000 total. The other $2000 will cover our accommodation, transportation and
food costs while we are on the island, as well as the purchase of further film
equipment.
For your donations, you will receive unique gifts:
$15: A hand-bound
book of writings and poetry by Anoushka and Marcelitte on their experiences
growing up mixed-race.
$50: A DVD of
the finished film.
$100: A DVD and Screening of the film in your community space or venue.
$500: Associated
Producer and Screening. You will receive
an Associate Producer credit in the film, a free DVD, signed by the filmmakers
and a private screening of Toasted Marshmallows in your community space or
venue.
Please keep checking back as we will be updating our perks page often with more fantastic gifts!
This is a flexibly funded campaign, so even if we don’t meet
our entire goal, we will still use whatever fund we raise to continue on our film making
journey, and we truly appreciate any and all support we receive from our wonderful
community!
The
Impact
Toasted Marshmallows is not just a film, but is a part of a larger project to build a
mixed-race community. Since our first campaign, we have received so many
messages from other mixed race women saying how much they have needed and
wanted a project like this. In our interviews with the women we met this past
summer, as we built connections and shared stories, we have come to realize how
important this project is to other mixed women and to a movement committed to
healing and expanding and complicating our conversations about race.
Our previous campaign was so successful that we were able to
raise funds to fully cover our airfare, equipment, and transportation costs. And
the buzz created by people like you who donated and shared created even more
opportunities for Toasted Marshmallows to speak about the project publicly and
to new audiences. Since our first shoot we have been interviewed by Nia King
for her podcast, “We want the Airwaves”, Eliot Owen for The Bay Area Reporter,
and on Vancouver Co-op Radio’s program “Bulland Awaaz”. The project was also
invited to participate in Suzanne Lacy’s new public performance “Between the
Door and the Street” in partnership with Creative Time NYC and The Brooklyn
Museum, as well as The Brooklyn Historical Society’s third annual “What Are
You?” panel.
We are committed to making a beautiful and moving film that
represents our personal experiences of being mixed race, and expands upon those
with the shared stories of our families and our community of mixed race women.
Other
Ways You Can Help
If you
can't support financially, please spread the word about Toasted Marshmallows by sharing this campaign on Facebook and
telling your friends . If you would like us to come speak to your organization
or community group about these issues, you can reach us at: 2toastedmarshmallows@gmail.com
THANK
YOU!
We are so excited to be apart of a growing
movement and greatly appreciate all the encouragement and support behind this
project!
