What is Rumspringa?

The Amish are a plain and quiet people that keep to themselves and their tight knit communities while abiding by the strict letter of their religion. When an Amish child is 16, they go through a period known as rumspringa, which translated means “running around.”

In rumspringa, children are encouraged to go against their Amish traditions and experiment with the lifestyles of their English counterparts. This often leads to wild parties and rambunctious behavior which is ignored by parents. It is also the time when a child must decide if they will join the Amish religion and conform forever to the rules of the church, or leave their family and friends and attempt to pursue an English lifestyle. It is a life changing decision.

Rumspringa the movie details the story of several young Amish that are forced to confront and analyze the beliefs of their religion as it relates to them while dealing with the unintentional murder of a young Amish girl at a party. They are forced to decide between the support of their community, and the yearning to discover their own identity that comes with the transition from adolescence to adulthood.

The story of Rumspringa also follows Edward Gains, a struggling local detective that is tasked with solving the murder of the young Amish girl. In his quest to solve the case he is met with resistance from the local Amish community, who would rather protect their youth, then give them up to the law. 

Mission Statement

My goal for this film is to illustrate what can transpire when you are forced to decide between thinking for yourself and conforming to the ways set in front of you by your community. Though we may see this problem as being specifically Amish, I propose it is only magnified by the intense nature of their culture and is something that everyone deals with when trying to find their individuality.  

The subtext of Rumspringa not only details what can occur when there is a negative stigma placed upon the notion of choosing your own identity, but also the benefits and support that can come from a community looking out for your best interest. My mission is to leave the viewers contemplating both side of the issue, deciding for themselves what they believe. 

What we need and what you get.

While a part of the film is being covered by personal funding, as a primarily student based production we need assistance to help cover the costs of...

• Transportation for cast and crew.
• Costume and props such as buggies and bonnets
• Equipment rental and transport.
• Lodging for the cast and crew.

A majority of cast, crew and equipment will need to be transported from New York City to our shooting location in north central Ohio. Your donations will help cover the costs of acquiring and lodging the crew for the duration of production. Donations will also aid the productions rentals and purchases in the form of props, costumes, equipment, locations and makeup.

We budget that we will need at least $5,000 for these expenses, but we can always use more. In essence, the more money you give, the better movie we create.

For your donations, along with our thanks for your support, you will receive an assortment of gifts, such as DVD’s and posters signed by the cast and crew, and your name or company name in the credits! Specific information can be found along the right hand side of this page. 

The Impact

Your donations will greatly affect the caliber of movie we are able to create. Filmmaking is an expensive process involving a large amount of collaboration that can incur a plethora of costs along the way. Your donations can make all the difference between a low and high production value. Simply put, the more funding we acquire, the higher caliber film we will create.