700K DISTRIBUTION STRETCH GOAL

I'm blown away with how my fans have rallied!!! You guys are amazing. We've set a 2nd Distribution Stretch Goal of 700K. This would allow us to expand the distribution of the film even more to not only major markets but the smaller cities all over the US and INTERNATIONALLY. Can't wait to start PRODUCTION!

"The Bounce Back" is a heartfelt romantic comedy about finding the courage to love after love has let you down.

When I read “The Bounce Back” - that very same issue was at the core of the script and the character, Matthew Taylor. I saw a lot of myself in Matthew, although I've never written a book (but I’m thinking about it now, hint, hint). I felt a kindred spirit to what Matthew was going through and my own life. Matthew loses his wife, his first love and after a short recovery creates a best selling book and a system of survival in order to shield himself from the pain.  He throws himself into a year long speaking tour.

That system of survival; his book and speaking tour, keeps him from falling in love again when he meets the perfect girl, the beautiful and zany Kristin Moreland. Matthew realizes that he has to renounce his book and the world he has created around it in order to take the big unknown plunge of letting himself fall in love again. 

I think there is a wonderful poetry to that, the idea of risking it all for love. And I feel, in my heart, that is why we’re here on this planet. To love. After I put down the screenplay, “The Bounce Back,” I knew I had to make this movie simply because I believe in love all the way down to the fabric of my being.

When I was cast as “Malcolm Winters” in The Young & The Restless over a decade ago, I had no idea what path my life would take as I stepped onto set that very first day. My exciting journey through Hollywood from ladies-man, “Malcolm” to my current role as the crime-solving, “Derek Morgan” with many unforgettable characters in between, has been much more than I could have ever asked for.

I feel fortunate to have had success in the movie and television industry and from my experiences portraying such memorable characters on screen in such entertaining storylines, a dream to get behind the camera and make a heartfelt movie that my fans would want to see emerged.

I’ve put a solid team of game-changers together, which includes a phenomenal Director, DP, music producers and a great production crew. 

Executive Producer & Actor - Shemar Moore

Shemar Moore is best known as one of the stars of the top-rated CBS crime show CRIMINAL MINDS, which he has co-starred on for the last eight seasons as FBI profiler Derek Morgan, an expert on obsession crimes who gets into the heads of serial killers to track them down before they strike again. The show has received People’s Choice Award nominations for “Favorite TV Crime Drama” for the last two years.

After several years working as a catalogue model during and after college, Shemar had his initial training in television on the CBS series THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS. A scout from the show saw Shemar in an ad in GQ magazine, which led to an audition and him landing the role of “Malcolm Winters” over hundreds of other actors. He played the role for eight years, winning a Daytime Emmy Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series, and two nominations for Outstanding Younger Leading Actor in a Drama Series, as well as Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series. Shemar also won seven NAACP Image Awards for his role on the show.

The Director - Youssef Delara

Youssef Delara, has agreed to direct the film. Youssef shot the urban drama “Filly Brown” which debuted at the Sundance Film festival and was theatrically release this April.  The film is still in theaters in select markets after a strong opening weekend.

Delara began his career as visual effects associate on the highly successful series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine going on to produce visual effects for Star Trek: Voyager as well as sequences for the popular Star Trek feature films Generations and Insurrection. An independent filmmaker for the past five years he has directed four feature films through the company he helped find, Cima Productions. “I feel blessed to be able to work closely with a talent like Shemar on ‘The Bounce Back, say's Delara. "Shemar's instincts and sense of story really matches my own. Were not just trying to tell a heartfelt story but also giving the audience something innovative."

Actress - Nadine Velasquez

Nadine Velazquez captured our hearts as ‘Catalina’, the sexy hotel maid/stripper with a heart of gold, on the People’s Choice winning NBC comedy series, MY NAME IS EARL, for which she received four Alma Award nominations in the Best Supporting Actress category. Also, we saw Nadine star opposite Denzel Washington in the Robert Zemekis directed film FLIGHT. She is currently in production for the feature film, AZTEC WARRIOR, where Nadine plays the romantic lead opposite Luiz Guzman. Nadine is a  Chicago native and currently resides in Los Angeles. She is an impassioned supporter of charities that protect the rights of disenfranchised youth.

The DP Ben Kufrin

As the son of a successful commercial still photographer in Chicago, Cinematographer Ben Kufrin was practically born behind the camera. He grew up assisting his father George and shooting his own subjects, having his first published photo appear in a Chicago weekly magazine at age 10.  During college, Kufrin’s studies focused on art, film, photography and journalism which for a while lead him to a profession in photojournalism for various news organizations like Chicago’s Tribune and Sun-Times, Associated Press and United Press International. Cinematography however remained Kufrin’s focus so after camera assisting and shooting on various Chicago film productions, he moved to Los Angeles to further pursue his passion

for filmmaking.. Since becoming a DP his work has taken him to locations on five continents in film, and on television networks such as Showtime, Lifetime, Fox Family, MTV, and PBS. 

His cinematography in independent features like, Jimmy & Judy (Edward Furlong, Rachel Bella, William Sadler) helped earn it a best feature prize at the 2006 San Francisco Independent film festival. Kufrin’s almost exclusive use of hand held 35mm camera work in ESL: English As A Second Language helped to garner that film a Best Feature nod at the 2006 New York Latino Film Festival and an Outstanding Achievement in Filmmaking Award at the Newport Beach Film Festival the same year before making it’s network debut on Showtime. Kufrin continues demonstrating versatility and range behind the camera as he was featured in various 2009 issues of P3 Production Update, Widescreen Review, High Def and

KODAK’s InCamera magazines for his ground- breaking revival of the Techniscope 2-perf 35mm film format in conjunction with the digital intermediate finish for the forthcoming feature, Happy In The Valley . That film took four top honors at the December 2009 Monaco International Film Festival Angel Awards taking home Best Feature Film, Best Ensemble Cast, Best Supporting Actress (Ursula Brooks) and Best Actor  (William Forsythe).

Kufrin followed up his partnership with "ESL’s" writer –director Youssef DeLara with another Showtime network  premiere feature, Bedrooms, along with co- directors Michael Olmos and Victor Teran. The ensemble drama features cast members Julie Benz (Dexter, Rambo 2008) and Moon Bloodgood (Eight Below, Terminator Salvation) among others.

This year Ben lensed  his latest feature, Filly Brown a hip-hop music-driven drama starring newcomer Gina Rodriguez, Lou Diamond Phillips & Edward James Olmos  which premiered in dramatic competition at the 2012 Sundance International Film Festival. A review in Variety read,” Ben Kufrin’s widescreen lensing on the RED camera, often emphasizing soft browns and brilliant whites is uber-pro.”  ‘Filly Brown’ another collaboration with directors Youssef DeLara and Michael Olmos. was picked up by Indomina for U.S. theatrical release in late fall this year.

Currently Ben is in production with the feature, SNAP a psychological thriller starring Jake Hoffman (Click, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Undeadand)  and  Niki Reed. (Thirteen, Twilight series)

After reading so many of your endless comments, remarks, compliments, and love letters that you pour onto my Twitter, Facebook and Instagram pages, I thought who better to ask for help-but you, my fans. I want to make this film for you. I know what you want. More than anyone. This movie will be an answer to the sheer loyalty and love you’ve given me over the span of my career.

I felt that with all my great friends supporting this endeavor, starting with you of course, I could bring this movie to life with a much smaller budget than most Hollywood films of this caliber.  We drafted up a budget for “The Bounce Back” and trimmed all the excesses of Hollywood productions.  My goal would be that we’d raise half of that through Indiegogo and outside investors. And of course I will contribute any funds needed to complete production.

                   The Official "The Bounce Back" Ginkgo Umbrella.

                         The Official "BabyGirl" Ginkgo Umbrella.

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Post it to Facebook, your blog or anywhere you'd like to let the world know you've joined The Bounce Back Movement.

Word of mouth is essential for crowd funding campaigns. So far, I have relied on my facebook page and my twitter account to spread the word, but I need your help! After you pledge, tell your family and friends about the project. Tell your neighbors! Tweet about it! Facebook it! Social Media a key marketing technique and could be a major factor in the success of The Bounce Back film! #TheBounceBack

The biggest challenge for any small to mid-size budget independent film is the size and scope of distribution. Of course we'd love the film to be a runaway hit and be in 3000 screens all over the country, but that would require a miraculous set of circumstances. Almost all films which get a wide release across the country are planned that way before a single frame is shot! Once "The Bounce Back" is complete, we are going to seek distribution from the multiple distributors my team has successfully done business with before. The size and scope I don't know, what I do know is that we will have a glorious premiere and we will get this movie in theaters. You got my word on that.

Whatever other challenges come our way, we will, however, be in constant contact with our backers so you know our progress every step along the way.

Love,

Shemar