KATUNAR is the first horror feature to be made in
Kosovo. Canadian director Dion Ventress
brings to the screen a small town suspense thriller.
KATUNAR
është filmi I parë artistik I xhiruar ne Kosovë. Regjizori kanadez Dion
Ventress sjell në ekran një triller suspansë të një qyteti të vogël.
After finding out of the passing of her father, Adelina
returns back to Kosovo and finds she’s inherited her father’s home in
Kaçanik. On her return, she not only
deals with paranormal activity in the home, doors that don’t open, and a
mysterious legend of people living in caves since the war in a cliff on the edge
of town. Once people start disappearing,
Adelina has to figure out what is real and what is myth.
Pasi mori vesh për ndarjen nga jeta
të babait të saj, Adelina kthehet në Kosovë dhe zbulon që ajo është trashëgimtarja
e shtëpisë së babait të saj në Kaçanik. Me kthimin e saj, ajo ndeshet me
aktivitete paranormale në shtëpi, dyer që nuk hapen dhe një legjendë misterioze
për njerëz që jetojnë në shpella që nga koha e luftës, në shkëmbinjtë në kufi të
qytetit.
Short Summary
How does a guy from Canada want to go to make the first horror feature in Kosovo?
My name is Dion Ventress and have worked in film and television production in Canada for over two decades. In the television aspect of my career, I have worked from home shopping, to Canadian network news, to sports, and also launching the first streaming superstation at a time when the only things that were being streamed was WORLD OF WARCRAFT and religious sermons. Television forced me to work on tight budgets and timelines, which translated into my own productions (music videos and home video documentaries). Having one of Canada's most eclectic private film archives (of 16mm, 8mm, and 35mm), this also had taken me to four different countries, and involved with helping bring other features into the Toronto film marketplace including the only 35mm 3-D polarized feature from the 90's to Canadian audiences.
Having a taste for global music, I started being introduced to Albanian pop, and ended up going to Kosovo in 2008 with profits I had made from a successful film tour of Finland.
Through meeting various people in Kosovo's media industry, I was impressed with the talent in the country, and technically what could be pulled off. I was asked by a company years later to work on a script for an action film. Sadly the company folded, and I returned last year to investigate how possible it was to do a feature film in the country. Technically, could it be possible?
Indeed it was as the same kind of equipment was in the country, however primarily with a focus on commercials, music videos and local productions.
Spending lots of my own capital, within a 12 month period, I established our headquarters in the country and made alliances with the country's best production houses in order to not only make a feature film, but to make something that would and could be seen for a worldwide audience.
On top of it, the country is in desperate need of jobs. Kosovo is one of the poorest countries in Europe, and close to a 45% unemployment rate.
Your contribution not only goes towards making the first horror film for the country, but it also will provide employment. I have seen how investment in my own country's film industry (Canada) has helped make us a worldwide force in feature film production. My belief is Kosovo has the talent and equipment to have the same output.
How often are we able to say we are involved with history, or touching the lives of the people in a country by turning out a small budget film?
YOU CAN - And that's we need your help!
What We Need & What You Get
While we have some of our funding in place, I believe we have a small target in place in order to fund KATUNAR.
The breakdown of our initial $50,000 goal can be broken down quite simply:
- 60% - PRE-PRODUCTION AND SHOOT: As we have outlined earlier, we want people to be paid for their work, primarily hiring local acting talent (which includes the casting). My goal is to utilize as much local talent as we can.
KATUNAR will be filmed primarily in the small town of Kacanik (about an hour outside of the capital city, Prishtina), close to the border of Macedonia. I was given a tour of the town, and shown a house that I was told I could use for a set, along with the cliff that inspired the fable in the script of "people living in the caves at the top of the mountain". The script isn't terribly busy with locations but primarily centers around the home Adelina inherits. There is no CGI, or tons of gory effects as the film has a focus on the elements you don't see. The cast and crew will be small, because it's primarily a story that centers on only a few actors. Even with the small budget, we are able to shoot the film on 4K/Blackmagic - the same equipment that any big budget Hollywood film is done on (think GI JOE or TOTAL RECALL). The shoot is 3 weeks, but primarily since it is indoor focusing on a small amount of locations, this should be a typical film shoot.
- 30% POST PRODUCTION: Our editing process and sound mix will be done in Kosovo as well. With top post production facilities and some excellent studios, we will have a cut and sound mix of theatrical quality.
The soundtrack will have local Albanian music on it, but primarily I wasn't finding the type of "sound" that was really spooky. Having be involved with the experimental music scene of the 90's, a lot of the soundtrack will contain this type of music which has long been neglected for horror films.
As noted earlier, there is really no CGI or effects so building them won't necessarily be a problem.
- 10% OTHER - This margin also includes promotional material and submissions to film festivals. Having built a network within Canada and Scandinavia we have had lots of interest towards this particular production. Also we have someone who would like to represent it for Cannes 2015, which we are targeting to take KATUNAR to the global marketplace.
All donations will still be banked towards the production of KATUNAR as we are committed to creating a sustainable feature film production environment in Kosovo.
INCENTIVES FOR YOU!
We have created many unique perks that let you be involved within the production that at the end of the day will not only create Kosovo's first horror film, but you will made a difference in creating work for a country in desperate need of it.
You will be able to get everything from mp3's of the soundtrack, DVD copies of the film, a certificate of appreciation, access to the on set streaming cam to see the production,
Want a walk on roll? Your product placed in the film? A still photograph of you in a scene? YOU CAN HAVE IT! Premium offers let you or your brand be tied in with this historical production.
Ready to be a big time movie producer? You can do that too as we are offering positions for Associate Producer and Executive Producer, where you will get royalties for your involvement in the production. You win not only by providing the funding for KATUNAR and creating jobs and work for people, but you get to receive a percentage of the profits.
The Impact
I came back from my travels to Kosovo wanting much more for the people in Kosovo. I would meet so many people involved in the media industry that wanted to have their skills shown to the rest of the world and I have always believed that the same way countries such as Romania and Russia have been ideal shooting locations, Kosovo had the talent and the equipment to do the same, but hasn't been on the radar for most production companies. There has been little done to promote Kosovo to the rest of the world and you might think of it as a country which is still war torn and the citizens dodging bombs. THIS IS NOT TRUE.
You will be involved in helping out in a small way for a country that is in desperate need of industries of all sorts being created to compete and participate in the world wide marketplace.
I have spent thousands of my own dollars building up alliances of people who can get the job done, professionally and on time and I want this young country to succeed.
My dream is to have people see the film complete and to think not only they helped make it, but that they HELPED.
Risks & Challenges
One of the biggest challenges in the country is that there really is no feature film production infrastructure. Very few features have been made in the country and therefore you are presented with trying to search for professionals.
Working decades in television, and specifically network news, I have been in an environment which "problem solving" is par for the course.
However, one of the greatest things about Kosovo is the small population and the connectivity that the country has. Building alliances with many production companies, asking "who can do this" has been greatly beneficial.
I have been greatly helped as well by "fixers". Those who I present a problem to that make calls to the people that DO know.
As the film is in both English and Albanian, I also will be working with a cast and crew that is fluent in both languages. A majority of people in Kosovo speak both languages (and sometimes many others). Language has not been an obstacle within the country.
Network news has taught me an efficiency that has translated in my line of production. FIX and MAKE the show go on.
PLEASE NOTE: KOSOVO IS NOT A DANGEROUS PLACE - I have travelled the world and can say that due to the fact there are so many foreign troops in the country, it might be one of the safest places I have ever been in.
Other Ways You Can Help
We need you to get the word out about KATUNAR!
Use your social networks in order to spread the word. Let others know about the first horror film in Kosovo, and how it's important to get people to contribute. Use the tools INDIEGOGO provides to share this with your contacts.
Do you think local media in your country or town might be interested in the story of the Canadian guy wanting to create feature films in Kosovo? Share our story with them!
Are you ALBANIAN? - Forward this to the online networks and organizations you use. The only way we can create an Albanian cinema, is to support the creation of it.
KNOW SOMEONE WHO HAS THE FINANCIAL MUSCLE TO INVEST? - Send this on to them. They might be the type that wants to see their name on the credits!
JOIN OUR SOCIAL MEDIA NETWORKS to be up to date on the campaign. There will be lots of great items to share including media and information!