Hope is the thing with feathers, that perches in the soul, and sings the tune without the words, and never stops at all. -Emily Dickinson
Hello awesome humans! Welcome to our Indiegogo page, raising funds to help make our short film, Little Bird. Thank you for taking the time to click the link that brought you here- we hope you will fall in love with our little movie as much as we all have!
HERE’S THE SCOOP:
Written and directed by Tee Schneider, produced by Joanna Swan, Little Bird is a film about tenacity- having it, keeping it and finding it again when it gets lost. It’s a film about empathy and connection, compassion and sacrifice. It’s a film about women who care enough to make the hard choices. It’s a film about women who brush themselves off and put one foot in front of the other even when the world around them is completely out of control. It’s most certainly about the resilience of girls. Little Bird explores invisible illness, the long-term fallout of unmanaged depression and the unimaginable horror of interrupted adoption. In the end, it’s a film about the choices we all have, big or small, at any age, in any circumstance- even the ones we can’t control.
There are only four kinds of people in the world: those who have been caregivers, those who are currently caregivers, those who will be caregivers, and those who will need caregivers.
-Rosalynn Carter
The film features Beatrice Schneider, who plays Fionna- a cereal-eating, bird-loving, 7-year-old. She’s tough, determined and wise beyond her years. When her mother’s unchecked depression spiraled out of control a year ago, Fionna was placed with Agnes, played by Arlene Duncan - a foster mom Fionna has come to love and depend on. But MS is an unpredictable disease and Agnes’ condition has taken a turn for the worst. Fionna will have to move to a permanent home sooner than expected. With her caseworker set to arrive any minute, Fionna tries everything to stop the inevitable. Her soon-to-be adoptive moms, having recently survived an interrupted adoption, struggle with their own fears. Will this family find a way to come together? In the end, Fionna will be left to make an important decision.
We live in a world in which we need to share responsibility. It's easy to say "It's not my child, not my community, not my world, not my problem." Then there are those who see the need and respond. I consider those people my heroes.
― Fred Rogers
WHY THIS STORY NOW?
It’s time to see a new kind of hero on our screens- the women who choose to give a shit, the girls who persist, the ones who get back up, brush themselves off and keep going no matter what- but in the simplest way- no cape-wearing superheroes here. What if we could just learn to appreciate the seismic effect that simple acts of caring can have on our society? What if more of us could come to believe that we, ourselves, can make a difference, regardless of our own challenges- right now, today. Wouldn’t that be the very definition of hope? This movie is a love letter to the women who choose to care. This movie is a love letter to the girls that persist. This movie is a light on the backbone of a society that most of us rarely notice.
A FEW MORE THINGS:
- All female principal cast.
- We are committed to promoting diversity on our screens.
- Queer parents are underrepresented on our screens.
- Care workers are underrepresented on our screens.
- Interrupted adoption is largely unmined territory (If you are not sure what interrupted adoption is, see stats below)
- The fallout of depression is real if left unchecked.
- Resilient girls on screen teach girls to be resilient.
SOME STATS YOU MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN
CAREGIVERS: 78 percent of all healthcare and social assistance workers are women. Care occupations are viewed as unskilled...low value, and are low paid as they are seen as an extension of women’s labour in the private sphere...In other words, the feminization of care work occurs because care work is designated as women’s work. Failure to support caregivers has been shown to undermine mental health across the population, including the person receiving care.
ADOPTION: Each year, roughly 5 per cent of the 600 adoptions from children’s aids societies in Ontario are not completed. With children over the age of 6, that number can be as high as 25 per cent. Following a private adoption, there is a 21-day period during which the birth parents may change their mind and have the child returned to their care. These are Interrupted Adoptions.
DEPRESSION: Mental illness affects all of us at some time, either directly, or indirectly via a family member, friend or colleague. Mental illness affects people of all ages, education, income levels, and cultures. Almost one half (49%) of those who feel they have suffered from depression or anxiety have never gone to see a doctor about this problem.
WHY DO WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT?
In this multi-billion dollar film industry, it’s not all glitz and glamour. It is a lot of hard work and passion, and one of the ever challenging things is sourcing the funding to be able to share our stories, and have our diverse voices heard.
So, about the money…
We are looking for 15K (and hoping for 20K). That sounds like a LOT of money, but it’s really not as much as it seems. For those of you who love watching movies, but aren't really up on what’s involved, here’s a little primer:
Creator/writer has a spark of an idea. Labours for months, sometimes years to get it on the page. Joins with team with the intention to get it from page to screen. Takes notes. Rewrites. Repeat. Repeat again. Team focus turns to pre-production. Business strategies. PR & Marketing. Sourcing funding. Production schedules. Shot lists. Booking crew. Equipment. Locations. Set design. Wardrobe. Planning meals. Travel. Street permits. Insurance. Festivals strategies. Promotional shoots. Auditions. Casting. Contracts. Agents…the list goes on. THEN, they shoot the movie. Then, post-production begins. Editing. Sound mixing. Music composition. Colouring..(this list goes on too). Then screenings. Festival submissions. PR & Marketing. Then, the process of shopping the short around as proof of concept to make a feature. And, of course, all these people need to get paid!
We are obviously not expecting something for nothing (but really, we wouldn’t object!) so, we have some fun perks as a gesture of our gratitude, and remember, with every perk from Cardinal and up, we donate $10 to The Red Door Family Shelter. It is a great way to give back!
YOU DON’T HAVE $$ TO SUPPORT LITTLE BIRD?
That’s OK! Some of you might not be able to contribute financially, but that doesn't mean you can't help us make this movie!! Here are some things that will really help:
- Share our campaign with friends and family, and throughout your social media channels using the Indigogo share tools.
- Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram – like us, share us, comment, engage, post, re-post.. You know what to do!
- So please - get out there and make some noise!!
We thank you in advance for your support, and can’t wait to celebrate with you all for helping make this dream come to fruition.
An extra special thank you to Ken McCaw for sharing his music with us for the campaign video, and to Open City Works for their generous contribution to production!
One word to describe what floats on the wings of this Little Bird....Hope.
