Flint's Story
April 2014 marked the beginning of the Flint Water Crisis, but it wasn’t until over a year later in December 2015 that the national news began to even cover this tragedy. For over a year, citizens were begging for clean water but their cries continued to fall on deaf ears. Even when cameras started to point their way, nothing was being fixed, and their stories were politicized. Everything that was being told by the media was all from the same perspective, the governments. It was all about who was going to fix the crisis or who was responsible....there was nothing being shown from the perspectives of the residents who were forced to live in these horrific conditions.
It’s been over 1,000 days since Flint has had clean water, and the national news media coverage has trickled to a halt. This crisis is far from over...so why is nobody talking about it?
From Flint: Voices of a Poisoned City will take you deep inside the city of Flint to give an intimate look at what it's really like to live in a city that's been poisoned by the government. It's important that these stories are told so Flint can stay in the spotlight until everything is fixed, and we can't tell these stories without your help!
We are currently expanding our documentary short into a feature length film. The short was initially created as our thesis project at Michigan State University. Since April 2016 we have been molding the idea of how to show a more intimate look at the ongoing crisis, and we feel expanding to a feature length film is the best way to do this.
The short film saw a lot of success in the festival circuit. From Flint played at larger festivals like DOC NYC and Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival. We also received recognition from the Student Academy Awards, the Michigan Student Emmys, and the BAFTA Student Awards. We feel that a feature backed with funding will propel the film to have the same success as we saw with the short, if not more!
It's important to us that the voices of Flint are heard around the world, and we can't do that without your help!
Why we need your help!
Any amount donated will be immensely appreciated! However; $20,000 will really give us the boost we need to get off the ground with production to start telling the stories of the Flint residents.
From the $20,000:
- 3.5% goes towards gas money to get to Flint
- 7% goes towards hotel costs so we can stay in Flint on our weekend shoots
- 7.5% goes towards equipment rental
- 9% goes towards craft services for the crew
- 8% goes towards sound design
- 25% will be put towards marketing and distributing the film once it's completed
- 35% will go towards crew costs
- 5% goes towards storage
We've also provided donation incentives if you decide to contribute to our film!
- $10 donation will get you a heartfelt thank you on our Facebook page from the crew
- $20 donation will get you a handwritten letter from one of the crew members (+ incentive above)
- $25 donation will get you a From Flint button (+ incentives above)
- $50 donation will get you the link to watch the current short film AND the feature length film once it's completed before it's released to the public (+ incentives above)
- $100 will get you a signed movie poster (11X17) (+ incentives above)
- $150 will get you an exclusive invite to one of the official premieres once the film is completed. Admissions cost will be waived and a reserved seat for yourself (+ incentives above)
- $200 will get you and one guest an exclusive invite to one of the premieres and reserved seating for the both of you (+ incentives above)
- $500 will get you an Associate Producer credit on the film (+ incentives above)
The Impact
It's important that the story of the Flint water crisis stays in the spotlight for as long as possible. Remember when Flint consumed the news channels and our Facebook feeds? It seemed that everyone was concerned about getting Flint fixed and bringing justice to the residents. Until slowly the news attention faded and started to turn towards another topic, leaving Flint and those who lived there behind. Just because you don't see Flint on the news anymore doesn't mean this crisis is over. There is so much that still needs to be fixed and so much that needs to be talked about. Flint needs to be used as ground-zero for water rights all over the world. It's important that those in power know that clean water is a human right and they need to fix what's been broken. Don't forget Flint.
Other Ways You Can Help
Any donations given in this campaign will go directly towards the film. We have provided ways in which you can help the city of Flint and the residents that live there.
- Donate Money!
- There are lots of really awesome organizations that are doing great work in Flint. We've come to realize while making this film that it's the non-governmental organizations (NGO's) that are doing the most work on the ground with the most limited resources. We encourage you to help them out so they can continue operating in the city of Flint.
- One of our favorite organizations, and one that is featured in our film, is Crossing Water (https://www.facebook.com/Crossingwater/). Michael Hood and his volunteers serve the most underrepresented areas in Flint. They bring vital resources to those who need it, but they can't continue to operate without financial donations. If you'd like to donate to them directly you can do so here: http://bit.ly/2sKKWJj
- $10 provides a case of water or a replacement filter cartridge
$25 buys a faucet filter
$30 buys a new faucet
$280 provides one week’s worth of water for a family of 4
$395 funds a Rapid Response Service Team visit, faucet, filter, extra cartridge, and water for a week
- Community Foundation of Greater Flint is another organization we've worked with through making this film. They have a branch specifically geared towards the children of Flint. The Flint Kids Fund focuses on helping children with the long term effects of lead poisoning. Lead is a neurotoxin that affects the way a child's brain develops. It's important that Flint is prepared to handle the long term impact of lead long after the pipes have been replaced. You can check out more information at their website (https://www.cfgf.org/cfgf/GoodWork/FlintArea/Fl...).
- Volunteer!
- There's always an opportunity to help out in Flint. We encourage you to get involved and help where you can; however, it's important to learn the proper ways to help. Crossing Water provides wonderful opportunities for you to join their team and learn from trained social workers how to volunteer in situations like Flint. Before you go out on Crossing Water's Rapid Response Service Team, you are required to take one of their classes in order to help benefit the community in the best way possible. Follow their Facebook page for updates on how to get involved!
- Host a water drive! Flint residents are still being forced to cook, clean, and simply live each and every day by using bottles of water. Host an event where people you know (or don't know) can drop off packages/jugs of bottled water which can then be brought to Flint. Lots of local churches and organizations are used as water sites for residents to come pick them up as they need it. Maybe you can bring other items to donate as well! Things like: children's books, non-perishable food items, and baby wipes (since people can't use their showers) can also help Flint residents.
- Stay Connected!
- LIKE our Facebook Page, From Flint: Voices of a Poisoned City (https://www.facebook.com/FromFlint/) to stay updated on what's going on with our film and opportunities to help out in Flint.