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Dongmei

The line between reality and madness is gone.

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Dongmei

Dongmei

Dongmei

Dongmei

Dongmei

The line between reality and madness is gone.

The line between reality and madness is gone.

The line between reality and madness is gone.

The line between reality and madness is gone.

Bob Messinger
Bob Messinger
Bob Messinger
Bob Messinger
2 Campaigns |
Lake Hiawatha, United States
$6,875 USD by 47 backers
$6,740 USD by 45 backers on Jul 10, 2015
Highlights
Mountain Filled 2 Projects Mountain Filled 2 Projects

The Story

Dongmei is a Chinese woman who ends up in the psych ward after fending off a couple of thugs and then inexplicably attacking the responding police officers.

The script is a 22-minute, intense, psychological thriller written to keep audiences guessing throughout. It's an extreme battle of wits between an intelligent, somewhat wise-ass, medicated and unwilling patient who's adept at turning a conversation and a psychiatrist who's overly confident he has what it takes to connect with her. The doctor's confidence starts to falter, however, as the session intensifies and his combative patient takes charge, interspersing vividly descriptive and surprising accounts of her past with perfectly timed personal attacks on her new sparring partner. Even after the doctor seemingly regains control of the session, forcing Dongmei to face some hazy and painful images, it's not unreasonable to expect the tables to be turned again to achieve an unexpected and powerful ending that will leave audiences questioning what was real and what wasn't.

"Dongmei" is more than a dramatic thriller about a Chinese woman walking a thin line between reality and madness. It's also a powerful reflection on diverse cultural reactions to mental illness and the varied and often devastating effects of those reactions on individuals.  

Once completed, the finished film will be submitted to film festivals worldwide and then presented to a host of on-demand distributors such as iTunes, Vimeo, Seed&Spark, Amazon, Hulu and others.

Who We Are

My name is Bob Messinger, and I have written many feature-length scripts, most of which have won awards in screenplay competitions. However, because only 50 or so spec scripts get picked up every year, it's become apparent that the only way to get something produced it to do it myself. Filmmakers are doing it all the time now, and because there are so many ways people choose to see movies today (cable, YouTube, Vimeo, Netflix, iTunes and Red Box, just to make a few), there is a growing demand for more entertainment content.

Cedric Hill, a 15-year film veteran and instructor at the New York Film Academy, has signed on to executive produce and direct the film. Together, we are assembling a talented cast and crew and plan to shoot in early August. His credits include "Great with Nothing,"  "The Service List: NYC," "My Great Great Aunt on My Stepfather's Side Through Marriage," "The Story of Milo & Annie," "R.W.D: Red, White and Detroit," and many others.

Jack Solomon is our Director of Photography. He is a writer, cinematographer, editor, director, gaffer and a U.S. Army veteran who has served in Afghanistan and Iraq. He has worked on highly acclaimed independent films that have been featured in scores of film festivals.

Danielle Cooper is our production coordinator. A theater major at Rutgers, she is a published poet ("Love's Twisted Lessons") and a committed advocate for LGBTQ rights. Danielle has performed her truthful-yet-offbeat poetry to rave reviews on stages in D.C., New York, Georgia, and New Jersey. She continues to write for stage and screen.

Heidi Li plays the title character, Dongmei,  whose confrontation with a couple of thugs triggers a psychotic episode, landing her in the psych ward. Li most recently was featured in the soon-to-be-released "The Spectacular Jihad of Taz Rahim." She also stars in the new episodic comedy-drama "Yellow Fever," and she also appears on Chinese TV as a pop culture host and reporter.

Jorge Consejo plays opposite her as a psychiatrist with his own issues who battles with Dongmei to figure out why the confrontation triggered her psychotic episode. Born in Mexico City, Consejo is best known for his film roles in "Código Postal" (2006), "La Cueva de los Secretos" (2008) and "Mujer, Casos de la Vida Real" (1985) and is frequently seen on the Telemundo and Venevision television networks in popular shows such as "Mas Sabe el Diablo," "Sacrificio de Mujer, " "El Rostro de Analia" and others.

What We Need and What You Get

This project is planned on a micro budget. Every participant is donating his or her time and talent in exchange for film credit. There will still be costs, however... primarily equipment rental, minimal travel expenses, a few props, craft services, film festival fees, marketing and a few other miscellaneous expenses.

By donating any amount to this campaign, you will be recognized with a thank-you in the film's credits. Other perks include DVD copies of the finished movie, associate producer credit and more. The bigger your donation, the bigger your perk! 

We will keep you involved every step of the way, from planning through filming through editing through distribution! We promise that this will be a quality film you'll be proud to have been associated with!

Your Participation Will Make a Huge Difference

Thanks to all the new avenues of distribution, many of them on demand making it easy to watch what you want, when you want and where you want to watch it, quality projects that never would have been made before are being enjoyed by millions! This is due in great part by artists whose compelling motivation is to create and get their works out into the world and by supporters like you who believe creative energy should never be wasted. 

So your participation not only helps us make a better film, it also contributes to the overall health of the art community and places you among the growing list of new media pioneers.

Risks and Challenges

All projects contain risks and challenges, but we've put a great deal of effort into minimizing ours. We've worked out multiple budgets with strict constraints to make sure we can complete and distribute the film. We've pared the script down to the fewest number of scenes in which we can adequately tell our story (doing this actually made it a stronger script). And we are attracting only the most-qualified crew members to make the production go smoothly and on schedule.

Other Ways You Can Help

We hope you are able to throw a few bucks our way, but if you can't contribute financially, there are other ways you can help:

  • Ask friends and family to get the word out and make some noise about our campaign.
  • Remember to use the Indiegogo share tools!
  • Use Facebook, Twitter and other social media to let people know how much you support our effort and asking them to consider supporting us, too.

And even if you do make a contribution, please also use the above suggestions to spread the word!

Also, if you can contribute or loan us a prop to help us contain costs, that, too, would be greatly appreciated. Email me at F1Promo@aol.com for a list of props.

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Choose your Perk

A great big shout-out!

$10 USD
A shout-out on our web site, on Facebook and on Twitter, heralding you as a supporter of the arts. A thank-you listing in the film's onscreen credits. Plus links to our "Backers Only" content, which we promise we'll keep regularly updated.
Estimated Shipping
February 2016
2 claimed

A personal thank-you note!

$25 USD
A personal thank-you note from the writer, plus a shout-out on our web site, on Facebook and on Twitter, heralding you as a supporter of the arts! A thank-you listing in the film's credits. Plus links to our "Backer's Only" content, which we promise we'll keep regularly updated.
Estimated Shipping
February 2016
3 claimed

Downloadable poster

$35 USD
Downloadable 11 x 17 PDF of the first draft of the movie poster. plus everything above.
Estimated Shipping
February 2016
1 claimed

Hard copy of the movie poster

$50 USD
Hard copy of the 11 x 17 first draft of the movie poster signed by the writer and director, plus everything above.
Estimated Shipping
February 2016
1 claimed

Downloadable finished film

$75 USD
A downloadable version of the finished film (after the initial film festival run estimated for September, 2016), plus all of the above.
Estimated Shipping
February 2016
0 claimed

Downloadable PDF of script

$100 USD
A downloadable PDF of the actual shooting script, plus all of the above (film downloads after initial film festival run).
Estimated Shipping
February 2016
4 claimed

DVD of the finished movie

$150 USD
DVD of the finished movie (after the initial film festival run), plus all of the above.
Estimated Shipping
February 2016
2 claimed

Photo package

$200 USD
A glossy, behind-the-scenes photo package, plus all of the above (DVD after initial film festival run).
Estimated Shipping
February 2016
0 claimed

Limited-edition photo calendar

$300 USD
12-month photo calendar of set shots with laminated cover and spiral binding (limited edition for supporters only), plus all of the above (film downloads and DVDs after initial film festival run).
Estimated Shipping
February 2016
1 claimed

Special thank-you credit

$500 USD
A "SPECIAL THANK YOU" onscreen credit in the film (alone and separate from the general thank-you credits), plus all of the above (film downloads and DVDs after initial film festival run).
Estimated Shipping
February 2016
4 claimed

Associate Producer credit

$1,000 USD
Associate producer credit on the film, plus all of the above (film downloads and DVDs after initial film festival run).
Estimated Shipping
February 2016
1 claimed

Executive Producer credit

$3,000 USD
Executive producer listing in the film credits, plus all of the above (film downloads and DVDs after initial film festival run).
Estimated Shipping
February 2016
0 claimed
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