Thinking about making a movie or show? Great! We wanna watch it.

But first, how are you going to fund it, and when you’re finished, who’s going to watch it?

We’ve got answers.

Many are asking us: should I still crowdfund? Well, crowdfunding rose out of the ashes of the 2007–2008 financial crisis. It’s a testament to the indomitable spirit of creators. It also led audiences out of a very dark time — one great idea at a time. It was revitalizing for so many people’s spirits, and also revitalizing for the creative economy. As people further isolate (and they should! have we said that already?), we are losing essential social connections that keep up the human spirit. But we have virtual tools to continue to tell stories that connect people, and we should use them.

It’s a time to adjust the thinking about your campaign: this is not about you raising the money for your work, this is about you offering a unique chance for people to connect (safely!) around things that really matter to them. Your outreach strategy will have to adjust. Your goal may have to come down as you scale back the ambition of your production (or heck, make it an audio drama you can record in your basement!). We haven’t seen a dip in contribution volume or levels in the past month.

Most people think about crowdfunding simply as a fundraising tool, but we’re going to show you how it’s so much more than that: it’s a great way to start (or continue) developing a direct connection with your audience, which is essential for building a sustainable film career that leads to distribution and the opportunity to, you know, make more than one thing.

Join Seed&Spark’s head of education, Christina Raia, for this can’t-miss Crowdfunding to Build Independence workshop, completely online, to learn:

• Why audience building is essential for a film career (and crowdfunding)
• How to define, find, talk to and grow your audience
• How to prepare for a successful crowdfunding campaign (including goal, incentives and communication plan)
• Why staged financing might be right for you

About Black Femme Supremacy Film Festival

The Black Femme Supremacy Film Fest is a grassroots endeavor to connect Black Femmes throughout the African diaspora through the medium of film. Meaning we center Femme identifying Black people in our programing. The film and media industry has been historically centered around white males. This festival encourages filmmakers who are on the margins to come together and find community within ourselves. We want to re-envision the Black Femme as a global protagonist and universal archetype. Since our first festival in spring 2018 we’ve screened over 40 short films from Black filmmakers of varying ethnicities and nationalities. The niche market that we cater to at our festival is quite literally the future. These are the heads of households who not only influence the minds of the youth but the checking accounts of the family and community at large. We aim to appeal to the whole of who our audience is, as so often Black Femmes are forced to choose between their blackness or their queerness. This is a festival that celebrates both.

Read our Code of Conduct.