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RICE the movie
We have been shooting this movie for over a year and with only three scenes left to shoot, we hope to get your suppport to complete post production and send this out to international festivals.
Director's Note
When I was 15, Argentina started a war in the Falkland Islands and a rush of foreign students came to my school in Uruguay. I made friends from all parts of the world and was completely unaware that the war had been started by a government that was running one of the bloodiest militar dictatorships in South America. Two years later, all my international friends went back to their countries and soon after, my mother died. For me, that marked the time to travel and meet the world.
Ever since I left my home in Uruguay at age 18, I’ve had the privilege of encountering warm strangers and open doors wherever I travelled. These days, we tend to focus on the danger of the unknown rather than focusing on its potential. I am grateful to all the foreigners and strangers who saw potential and shared part of their lives with me, for many of my best experiences in life came from that. It is to that human quality that I dedicate this film; a quality in which we dare ask, investigate and confirm before we judge. RICE is for those who can engage with other histories, perspectives and languages...and for people who won’t run away from a movie with subtitles.
The story RICE comes from my experiences in Uruguay and is partly an attempt to reconcile my own past. The male protagonist, Sebastian, has been created as a mirror of my experience as a teenager in Uruguay and my later findings as to the grusomme history behind the Falklands war. The female protagonist, Helen, is a projection of how my mother’s life could have been, had she not been institutionalized at age 15 and stifled by her culture. As opposed to my mother, who was basically pacified until they deemed her to be normal, Helen has been written to take charge of her life and to figure out how to balance her abilities on her own.
You will also find a parallel story that includes the subject of transgenic plants. These days anything can be marketed into a household staple given the right budget. It's my belief that powerful corporations decide what food we eat, without much regard for our health. I want to portray this reality without creating yet another quickly forgotten documentary about factory food. If corporations can sell us "natural" breakfast cereal with a story about a tiger, then fiction is a better strategy to get people's attention. In a world where we don't want to know where food comes from, fiction proves to be more effective than fact.
Alex Vargas
Synopsis
Sebastian, an Argentine army veteran, and Helen, a French Canadian woman, both reside as exiles in San Francisco. Helen has run away scared from an incident in which she uses her newly found powers. Sebastian has escaped from torture by the Argentine dictatorship. While Helen is evaluating the use of her powers and Sebastian is stuck in a dark psychological state, the two cultural deviants cross paths at a health food store. Helen and Sebastian quickly connect over their shared perspective on life. Their encounter has a strong impact that catapults them into separate paths of personal development. Months later, in recognition of the value they bring to each other, they reconnect and move in together. During their harmonious life together, a friend from the past makes an unannounced visit that throws everything off.
Themes
Language and Culture - RICE exhibits an interest in understanding human psychology beyond language and culture.
Love - RICE presents love in various forms from love through physical contact to sacrificing for love and everything in between.
Community Values - RICE portrays the struggle that comes from personal values conflicting with community values.
Argentine History - RICE references an authentic historical period in Argentina through Sebastian’s background.
Food Safety - RICE brings some of the controversies surrounding transgenic organisms into the story.
Emphasis on Personal Development - In this story, self-development is shown through stepping outside the norm and staying true to oneself.
Application of Power - There is so much we don’t know compared to the little we do know and yet, when we act from our limited knowledge. We do so as if there were nothing else to know. RICE examines the process of obtaining power, the consequences of applying it and the humility that may come from having caused harm to others.
The Team
Alex Vargas Writer, Director, Producer, Editor, Composer
Alex is a natural born storyteller with the competence and talent to handle every facet of moviemaking, from script writing to editing and musical compositions. He was an actor in the Uruguayan national theatre and a professional musician, recording artist and a painter in Denmark (until he moved to the US in 2003). His artistic medium of choice is movies, where his “canvas” allows him to paint visuals, sounds and words to tell his stories.
Katie McFadden Assistant Director
Katie is a Program Manager by day and an Assistant Director by night. She manages international student programs and then slips away each day to delve into the whirlwind of filmmaking. She is not sure which is more challenging, counseling teenagers or making Alex’s artistic visions come to life… But she embraces both! She is a core member of the RICE production team, contributing as a camera operator, sound and lighting technician, casting associate, caterer and general morale booster when it rains.
Ivan Helbling Producer, Buenos Aires
Ivan is a graduate in international studies and has completed courses on film theory and film analysis. Since some years ago, Ivan aspires to work in the film industry because he loves that discipline. He is currently working in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Argentina, and is in the process of applying for a Diploma in Performance and Documentary Film Production. At this time, Ivan is succesfully fulfilling a role as a local producer in Argentina for the Feature Film RICE.
Lisa Laviolette Founder of Quest International
Lisa is the founder and president of Quest International, a non-profit student exchange organization that is currently serving as the fiscal sponsor for the movie RICE. Lisa has also donated space for auditions, editing, shoot preparation and sets. Most importantly, she has shown a lot of love and support throughout this production.
Cast and Crew
We have fed over 80 people who have donated their time and talent as cast and crew. Thank you all!
The Next Step
We are launching this campaign to support the end of production and all of post production. Production is the process of shooting all the footage needed fror the film. Post production is the process of selecting footage, editing, sound design, voiceovers, color correction and musical composition (score).
We are 90% done with shooting the movie and we need additional resources now for the following:
- Production Costs for the final 5 scenes - pick up shots, inserts and B-Role, gear rentals, props, catering, transportation, wardrobe, locations rentals and insurance.
- Film Gear Insurance
- Replacing a dying computer
- Alex’s minimal living costs for 10 months of full time work completing voicveovers, edits, color correction, credits, sound design and score (musical composition) for the movie.
- Full script Translation into three languages
- Entrance Fees for 30 to 50 Film Festival
- DVD's, graphics and production with subtitles.
If you don’t have the money to contribute right now…
We would really appreciate any donations of your time to share this campaign link on your facebook, website, blog or twitter. Thank you!
