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“To me Jesus has always been about justice.”

-- Sister Simone Campbell

Dear Friends,

The world needs the Nuns on the Bus now more than ever. 

Thanks to the support of so many, we've been able to capture the transformative 5-year journey of Sister Simone and The Nuns on the Bus into the heart of our deeply divided nation.

When I jumped on the bus and started filming 5 years ago, I had no idea we'd be given an opportunity to chronicle one of the most politically tumultuous periods in American history.

This journey has changed my life. I hope that by sharing it with you we can now all travel with the Nuns on the Bus, learn their lessons along the way, and be fortified for the challenges and opportunities ahead. 

Please help us finish editing the film and release it before the 2018 elections. 

We are in an exciting and critical moment for this project. Please join us on the bus!!

Thank you so much for all you do,

-- Melissa

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Want to send us an email message?

Send an email to nunsonthebusmovie@gmail.com. We'd love to hear from you!

Prefer to make a tax-deductible contribution?

Tax deductible contributions can be made by credit card or check, and are processed through our nonprofit fiscal sponsor, Fractured Atlas:

Click here to make a tax deductible contribution using a credit card.

Prefer to send a check?

Contributions made by check are also tax deductible.

1. Make check payable to: Fractured Atlas

2. Mail to: Melissa Regan, 4096 Piedmont Ave #112, Oakland, CA 94611

3. Send an email to nunsonthebusmovie@gmail.com and let us know your check is coming. Thank you!!

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SPECIAL NEW REWARD!!!

Contribute any amount during this Indiegogo campaign to enter to win a pair of VIP Tickets to a live taping of the Late Show with Stephen Colbert!! (travel and other expenses not included)

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"Sister, you and your fellow nuns have clearly gone rogue!"

-- Stephen Colbert

Sister Simone's first appearance on the Colbert Report

NUNS ON THE BUS is a feature-length documentary following Sister Simone Campbell, leader of the historic Nuns On The Bus tours, as she and her band of rebel nuns fight to save democracy in this quirky, moving journey across a divided America. 

Sister Simone is a troublemaker.

In 2012, the Vatican censured the majority of American nuns for promoting “radical feminist themes” for focusing on poverty and justice rather than speaking out against abortion and same-sex marriage. But instead of backing down, Simone and the sisters were more determined than ever and launched their first annual "Nuns On The Bus" tour. 

From 2012 through 2016, the Nuns on the Bus held yearly cross-country tours on a variety of themes, drawing attention to inequality, stirring up communities to fight for systemic change, and amplifying the voices of ordinary Americans struggling every day to keep their families well fed, health insured, and safe from police violence and deportation.

Sister Simone and the Nuns on the Bus meet with moms in Ferguson, MO

Along the way, Sister Simone emerges as a leader, and the tours elevate her to celebrity status. But prominence brings new challenges and conflicts. Will they be able to make the changes they hope to inspire? Can they keep their promises to the people they swore to defend?

With grace and humor, the film follows Simone and her Sisters behind the scenes of the media spotlight. Tracing their journey through a time of momentous change within both the Catholic Church and American politics, the film offers a nuanced and complex exploration of the role of faith in policy making, the role of government in combating inequality, women's leadership, and what it means to truly dedicate your life to social justice and community.

In 2012, documentary filmmaker Melissa Regan read about the upcoming bus tour in the New York Times. She was so inspired that she grabbed her camera, flew to meet the nuns, and hopped on the bus. Heartened by Sister Simone's and the nuns' care for the vulnerable, inspired by their speaking truth to power, and smitten by their general bad-assery, Melissa has been filming Simone and her fellow nuns with unrestricted access from  2012 to 2017.

By following the birth and evolution of the Nuns on the Bus movement from 2012 through the 2016 election, this film will tell a powerful and prophetic story of the unraveling of our nation, it's fracture into our current extreme political divides...and the struggles, failures, and redemption of these unlikely heroes.

This film will help heal our nation's divides and shift the dialog before the 2018 elections, serving as a springboard to inspire each of us to find our own voice and ways of participating, and giving strength to the movements that are working to make the country better for us all.

We are aiming to release the film in early 2018 via online + television broadcasts and screenings across the country with a rich network of community and organizational partners.

Race to the finish!

To release the film in time to help heal our nation's divides and shift the dialog before the 2018 elections, we need your support right now to keep us on track for editing a rough cut of the film by Fall, 2017: 

MILESTONE #1: $35,000 (Keep the dream alive!)

Create a first rough cut to stay on track for the Fall, 2017 film festival deadlines. This first rough-draft of the film is an exciting milestone that will, for the first time, assemble 5 years of footage into a film story!

This first $$ goal is humble but mighty (like the nuns :), and the critical, bare minimum needed to keep us in the running.

WE ACHIEVED THIS $35,000 MILESTONE IN JUST THE FIRST 2 WEEKS OF THE CAMPAIGN! WE ARE HUMBLED, AMAZED, AND SO DEEPLY GRATEFUL!!!

You have inspired us and given us the confidence that, just like the Nuns on the Bus themselves, this film will help propel a movement to reach across divides and find solutions that make our country (and world) better for all of us. Thank you!

NOW, WITH YOUR HELP, WE CAN KEEP PUSHING TOWARD FINISHING THIS FILM...CAN WE GET ALL THE WAY TO MILESTONE #2 ?!?!

MILESTONE #2: $70,000 (Festival Sneak Peek)

Craft the first rough cut into a tighter, more powerful, more beautiful story. The first rough cut from milestone #1 is a prototype, in broad strokes, of our initial ideas about what the film contains. In this phase we'll test those ideas out on ourselves and others, and try again (and again) until we get it right!

Getting to this $$ milestone brings us even closer to a finished film with lots (and lots) of revisions, reworking, and private test screenings with trusted friends, colleagues and stakeholders. It's one of the messy awesome iterative parts of the creative process. It's also when we start experimenting with music and archival footage and other pieces and parts that will help make film really sing.

By the end of this phase, we will have a version of the film ready as an "early rough cut" private sneak peek for film festival reviewers, distributors and other larger funders to start generating interest and attracting the funding needed for the final stages.

How Will the Funds Be Used?

Funds from this Indiegogo campaign will go directly toward editing the film. 

We're already part way there, and your contribution will help propel us toward our deadlines.

Any donation amount helps...thank you!

We've been working hard, things are really taking shape, and this is the final push. But time is short. Foundations and distributors can come in at a later stage to help with final finishing costs once we get to a rough cut. But, right now? We need you. We now have 400 hours of footage in the can that cover this dramatic period in American history. Editing that into a tight, impactful 90(ish)-minute film takes time. And a team.

You can also support the Nuns on the Bus documentary by sharing our Website and joining us on Facebook and Twitter!

We'd love if you could share this project with your networks and become a part of our growing community working to get this film out!

Thank you so much for your support!!!

Frequently Asked Questions:

Q: Why are you seeking funds beyond the initial goal of $35,000? 

We have been blown away by the enthusiasm and generosity of the hundreds of people who donated in the first two weeks of this campaign to reach our initial goal of $35,000. These funds will allow us to create the very first rough cut of the entire film, a huge milestone! But finishing the film requires a lot more work and funding—from numerous revisions of that rough cut into a final cut, to post production costs like color correction, sound design, music and archival licensing. $70,000 will allow us to get the cut into shape to submit to major festivals this fall, and put us in the best possible position to seek final finishing funds from grants, broadcasters and distributors. So please continue to share the project with people who will love it!

Q: Is my contribution tax deductible?

Not directly through Indiegogo, but there is a way. Tax deductible contributions can be processed through our nonprofit fiscal sponsor, Fractured Atlas:

Click here to make a tax deductible contribution using a credit card.

Q: Can I send a check?

Yes!

To contribute by check:

1. Make check payable to: Fractured Atlas

2. Mail to: Melissa Regan, 4096 Piedmont Ave #112, Oakland, CA 94611

3. Send an email to nunsonthebusmovie@gmail.com and let us know your check is coming.

Q: Do I still get those cool rewards even if I donate through Fractured Atlas or by check?

Yes! All donations made during the campaign period are eligible for rewards. 

Q: How do I show this film at my school, church, or in another public setting?

Stay tuned! As we get closer to finishing the film, information will be distributed about how to arrange community screenings, purchase a "public performance" license (note that the DVD and digital streaming of the film provided as rewards in this campaign are "home video" rights and not intended for public events), and invite the filmmaker to attend your screening!

Thank you!!!

Melissa Regan (Director, Producer, Cinematographer)

• Melissa is an award-winning filmmaker, tech entrepreneur, educator and mechanical engineer.
• Her film No Dumb Questions received an award at the Sundance Film Festival appeared on PBS, HBO and Oprah.

Robin Blotnick (Editor)

• Robin is an award-winning filmmaker and Sundance Creative Producing Fellow.
• His feature documentary The Hand That Feeds (2014) broadcast on PBS received awards at several festivals and press acclaim at its theatrical run.

Sara Archambault (Producer)

• Sara is the Program Director at the LEF Foundation and Programmer/Founder of the award-winning films series The DocYard. 
• She was Managing Producer on Emmy-nominated documentary Traces of the Trade, is a Sundance Creative Producers Lab Fellow, and was sited among the "Ten to Watch" in 2013 by The Independent.
• Sara's parents were a former nun and priest, both active in social justice.

Rachel Lears (Producer)

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• Rachel's documentary The Hand That Feeds, won awards at numerous festivals. It was supported by Sundance Documentary Film Program, Ford Foundation, Chicken & Egg Pictures, Bertha BRITDOC Connect Fund, and the Cinereach Project at Sundance Institute.
• Rachel comes from a long line of progressive Catholics active in antiwar and social justice movements. 

This project has been supported by the Independent Film Project, the Berkeley Film Foundation, family foundations and nearly 1,000 individual donors.

Risks and Challenges

The time for this documentary is now and we are committed to making the best film we can and making it available as quickly as possible. As with any creative endeavor, there is always the chance of unexpected obstacles that could result in delays getting this film out. One of the greatest risks is not getting it out before the 2018 elections when it will have a greater impact in this crucial time, but the biggest risk of all is not trying.

THANK YOU!!!