Dear friends,

I am embarking on an exciting journey and I want to take you along for the ride! I am creating a short film about the healing power of sharing your art and discovering your voice, inspired by my own experiences. I hope that this project will spark conversations surrounding the importance of acknowledging mental health, self-expression and individuality and thus create a wave of change in our society's freedom and ability to do so. I am very excited to make this dream a reality but I need the support of my community!

I have set an estimated budget of $11,000, making this a low budget indie project but still a lot of money to raise. Every dollar will towards making this film happen from head to tail.  Budget includes pre-production, filming (cost of paying cast and crew a fair daily rate, lunch expenses, equipment rental, etc.), post-production, marketing and festival applications. I've included an estimate for everything needed to make this a great short. 

Shooting for four days professionally in New York can add up quick, from renting camera equipment to getting city permits, from production insurance to feeding cast & crew, every dollar counts.  If you could spare $200, $100, $25, even $10 dollars, your contribution would go a long way. $25 can pay for a film festival application fee, $100 can rent an equipment van for a day, $200 can rent sound equipment for a day.

I want do this this the right way and well-represent my community and supporters; I know this has the potential to be fine work and your support will help tremendously.

This project is sponsored by the non-profit organization Fractured Atlas and will allow your donations to be tax deductible, which means it will help reduce the amount of taxes you owe. Remember, no donation is too small!

Synopsis

‘I Am an Artist’ follows the story of Margo, a young professional woman who just moved to NYC following her college graduation and feels unsure of what she really wants out of life. Through synchronicity, she stumbles upon an open mic for artists of all types and gets inspired to share her writing. Fueled by a renewed sense of magic for the city and life in general, she begins to heal her inner child and learn the power in sharing her art with others. Through beautiful live performances and seeing the world through Margo’s shifting perspective, this film will take audiences on a journey of hope and learning the importance of self-love.

The idea for ‘I Am an Artist’ was born during my own journey of discovering myself through writing and sharing my poetry in the past couple of years. I wanted to share the self-doubt, fear and struggles I’ve had and also how rewarding pushing myself and persisting through all of that has been. While a work of fiction, this film is heavily inspired by my own experience of claiming my artistry while simultaneously learning how to heal and grow as a person.

According to Mental Health America (MHA) Nearly 60 million American experienced a mental illness in the past year. 

In 2023, 40% of high school students felt persistent sadness or hopelessness.

 
My hope is that I'll be able to create space for conversation and dialogue surrounding these issues at different film festivals, local community screenings, virtual screenings and more. I want to inspire others to view their own lives as works of art and realize that they have the capability to make each day a beautiful one.

Thank you so much and I can't wait to make magic happen together! Here's to the artist inside us all :)

With love and gratitude,

Rita <3