WHO?

I am very excited! The dream to make this portrait documentary film is just about to happen.

Karaka, shines in her new colors, ready for new adventures. There is a free bunk waiting for me to board her together with other sailors and shooting can start. I just need to get in La Paz Mexico where Karaka is anchored at the moment.

My name is Simon Obleščak and I am a documentary filmmaker living in Berlin, Germany.

I have graduated in Ljubljana, Slovenia Film Accademy. I have worked as a director on slovenian national TV and as a independent producer/director.

I moved to Berlin where I have established a production platform onionfilms.

Documentary film "Amigo" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNSXEjLLCzo  which I coproduced and co-directed was chosen as the best documentary work on the Slovenian film Festival in 2003 and got the prize for the "artistic achievement" in festival "Golden Knight" in Kaluga, Russia.

I have written and directed Documentary film "Blue is the sky" https://vimeo.com/16630621   for Slovenian National Televison. It got high ratings and was transmitted many times.

WHAT?

But what is "KARAKA, THE SEED OF CHANGE" film all about?

Tom decided he wants to live permanently on the sea and he was determined to make this dream come true. He has first sailed on different sailing boats as a crew member. But his dream was to be independent and live self-sustainably, sailing wherever his heart and wind takes him. 

One day in 2005 on the stopover in Hong Kong he found her; 17m long rusty ketch (sailing boat with two masts) named Karaka. She was siting in the dry dock heading for scrape yard. He found her owner and bought her for 1$. 

He repaired her and his dream started to unfold.

He set sail the same year and never stopped since. Soon he was joined by other people who also  dreamed on life on the sea. For a small fee anybody can join in for indefinite period of time.

Tom is not just another sailor who want to charter his boat. 

He is very conscious about how he lives his life.

It is becoming apparent that we can´t live as we did in the 19th and 20th century destroying the planet and the variety of species in less than 100 years. 

So Tom had an idea how he can do it differently. He lives on sea, his main source of energy is wind, a lot of food comes from the ocean and the islands where he is stopping and he maintains the boat with support of people who want to join and learn from the experience.

Other people that sailed with him liked his lifestyle and they also started to change their lives. 

Kim came along and they fell in love - so she, Tom and the cat Kat are the permanent crew of the Karaka. 

Of course not everybody needs to live on the sea to be in harmony with the surrounding world. The mindset that made Tom change his life can be applied also to life on land (permaculture), and in the cities. Tom´s way is just one of the many possible ways - life prospers in diversity - but it is one possible solution - and we need solutions right now. Each one of us needs to find the solution that suits her/him best.

 WHY?

The purpose of this project being here on Indigogo is of course to raise the necessary funds to be able to do it, but also to start raising the awareness about this story and the community Tom and Kim are building. 

Beside the nice perks you can get by supporting this campaign I believe that biggest perk will be when we succed in transfering "Karaka experience" in the film language. 

To achieve this goal I need your support. You can do that by choosing perks offered here. 

Your money goes to:

-buying plane ticket Berlin - La Paz, Mexico

-1 month of living costs during shooting

- buying some additional filmmaking equipment (microphone, tripod)

update:

I would like to show you where exactly your money goes:

Airplane tickets from Berlin to La Paz Mexico and than back from costa rica will cost about $2000

Than equipment:

Canon 5d mark2

produces superb images, but sound it is it´s weak point. So to buy a good  sound equipment is crucial as we want to hear what Tom has to say without hissing of the amplifier, sea waves, wind blowing etc.

That is why one of the most important pieces of the equipment is this little guy

Beachtek DXA-SLR and it cost 452,20 €

It will bypass noisy Canon´s sound amplifier to be able to record a superb sound.

Than a complet of these  price 1120.98€

For interviews this is needed  - price 808.01€

which makes together 2381.19€ = $3083.4 for equipment and $2000 for tickets makes $5083.4 and additional $1000 for living cost not to mention insurance, external hard disk drives, tripod etc.

That is why every little suppport counts, and I am grateful to all that already supported - shared the energy with the project. 

Indiegogo takes 4% and PayPal 3% from the sum we get here. 

You can also support us by choosing some of the mercandise in our fan shop (it doesn´t add to the campaign here though):

 http://karakatheseed.spreadshirt.de

This shop is independent from Indigogo, because it will be possible to buy items there even after the end of the campaign here. If you buy items there the money goes directly (big cunk goes for print and items itself) to the project but it does not add to the sum we are raising here on Indiegogo.

I choose this campaign to be all or nothing; I can only do the film  if I raise this minimum amount of money. If the sum is not reached all the money goes back to you.This is the situation I want to avoid at all costs. 

I am working on the project for almost two years and I really believe in it. I believe it will be visually strong and also have a lot to tell. So I will do everything in my power to make it happen.

If you like the idea tell your friends about it, share it on your social media, so it can spread - grow from a sprout into a Tree (Karaka is also indigenous Tree that grows near the ocean in New Zealand, where Karaka the sailing boat was built) - you can use Indiegogo´s share tools for that.

I am very, very grateful for your attention and possible support. 

As I believe the good energy must flow I am pledging to give 10% of what I will get here with this campaign back to other projects on Indiegogo that I like.

Thank you and may the Seed of Change grow inside of you.