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Dear Friend,
We are reaching out to you because we are seeking funding for our documentary
film project called "The Last Piece." The film, a challenging
work shot over the past seven years on and around the Shinnecock Indian
Reservation in Southampton, NY, is about the Shinnecock's fight to save
what remains of the Nation's culture, history and ancestral land in the
surrounding and by contrast, tony Hamptons. It is our great hope that
we - Karola Ritter, the director and Alli Hunter Joseph, member of the
Shinnecock Nation - can produce an award-winning film that addresses many
environmental and social issues relevant to all residents of the East
End and beyond.
"The Last Piece" will provide a "wigwam out"
(shot from the Reservation vantage point) view of life, culture and concerns
on this Indian reservation, even as it addresses local opinions about
Native people today. To our knowledge, there has never been a film quite
like this before.
Alli is a print and television journalist and producer who has
covered the Hamptons for many media outlets, like People Magazine, CBS
News and News12/Cablevision.
Karola is an award-winning documentary filmmaker and most recently
did principal photography on "Farmingville," which won
a Special Jury Prize at this year's Sundance Film Festival.
We recently received a grant from the Long Island Community Foundation
in the amount of $10,000, our first, which will enable us to buy an editing
system for the film. The foundation requires matching funds for an additional
$2,500 in order for us to receive a total amount equaling $15,000.
Tax- deductible donations toward this "challenge" grant can
be made payable to our 501C3 fiscal sponsor at:
Local TV, Inc, P.O. Box 799, Wainscott, NY 11975
(please write "for The Last Piece" in the check memo).
Other contributions for this film can also be made payable directly to
Sweeteye Films at the address below. The projected final film budget is
$450,000, considering that the film is being shot in PAL (European digital
high-quality format), and that our goal is to show the end product on
a big screen in High Definition (HD). All contributions in any amount
would be deeply appreciated (contributions $2,500 and over will be credited
in the final film, if you wish it). Immediate funds are needed to cover
production in the next month as we finish up principal photography during
and after the annual Shinnecock Indian Pow Wow over Labor Day Weekend.
Following that, it is our intention to go into an edit and complete the
film next year.
A 20-minute trailer, a full-length proposal and budget are available upon
request. If you want to learn more about us, our effort, and hopefully
our financial wish list for this film, please call or email either of
us at the numbers below. Like many films, we expect the final costs will
be cobbled together from quite a few different sources.
We believe that this film can help foster greater communication and understanding
between two very different communities who must live as neighbors in spite
of class and cultural differences. Your interest in the history of this
community and the meaning of "The Last Piece" is important
for all sharing these shores, and funds to finish this film will help
extend the bridge we are trying to build from "the wigwam out."
Again, we would be grateful for your support, and respectfully await your
response.
It "takes a village" to make a film about a Nation!
Sincerely,
Alli Hunter Joseph and Karola Ritter
Producers, "The Last Piece"
Karola Ritter
Sweeteyefilms
Email: sweeteyefilms@gmail.com
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