Talkin' 'bout a Revolution...
This winter, the coalition government in the UK announced sweeping changes to university tuition fees that set higher education in Britain to be the most expensive in Europe.
Students voiced their discontent in widespread protests that brought news footage into our homes reminiscent of the 70s and 80s; from horses charging marchers, to the windows of Conservative Party office being kicked in by an angry mob. However, one occupation's success at holding their University and generating amazing amounts of support suggested that something different was happening here.
We - directors Isis, Srdan and Ludo - are three filmmakers that have been with a group of University College London students with a passion for change since day one. We have seen them come together and organize themselves using Twitter, Facebook and YouTube to make their belief in the fundamental right to an affordable education heard across the country and around the world. Their occupation, a classic 60s sit-in with a Twitter-feed twist, has seen the beginning of the strongest student movement in 40 years.
From their first occupation right through to the huge protests across London on 26th March we have recorded these amazing characters create technology that will change the face of protest forever, as well as become friends. We believe we have a story that both captures a moment in time and will have massive resonance for the future. And we need your help to complete it.
No Ifs, No Buts, We Need to Make Film Cuts!
We've shot hundreds of hours of footage right from the heart of the protests - with unique and exclusive access to our characters that hasn't been seen on any news programme or magazine article. This film charts both the political and the personal to show the world that protest is vital, and can make a difference.
We want to tell this story of peaceful and innovative protest as quickly and as broadly as possible.
By completing the film and showing it at festivals, on TV and in public screenings, we'll share a story and a world that means more today for a world in crisis than ever before.
You & Us, Not Them & Us
So far, we've made this by the seat of our pants and with the support of our producers.
We've had no funding and this has meant we've been free to capture the story as it happens, right at the heart of things. But now we need to get down to it and edit all this great material!
We're asking for you to help us reach our $10,000 target which will pay for our super low budget post production process - essentially an editing team to help us put the film together so that we can get it out there to you, to students across the world and to a broader audience that might normally dismiss such protests as cliched student antics, when we can see this is anything but.
We've put together a whole set of levels at which you can help us out - all with a fun educational twist - from a shiny gold star right up to a PhD in Real Social Networks, you can be part of a project that is charting changing the face of a generation.
Wave Your Placard!
Please also help by spreading the word. As you can see from the links below, we have a Facebook page, a Twitter account and a website for the film.
Also please let us know your thoughts, ask us your questions and help us on the way to tell a really urgent story as soon as possible.
