IndieGoGo: Fruit of the Tree

Fruit of the Tree

Forgive...but never forget.

Milwaukee, Wisconsin
United States

RATINGS (4)

Idea

Team

Chance of Success

Tags: forgiveness lynching americas_black_holocaust_museum true_story inspirational time_of_terror racial_healing black_holocaust james_cameron truth_and_reconciliation lynching_in_the_north noose american_history survive

Synopsis: He speaks for thousands whose voices were silenced. He risks all for justice and refuses to be poisoned by hate. He dreams of his country as “one single and sacred nationality.” James Cameron is the only known survivor of a lynching. Fruit of the Tree is his story.

On a sweltering August night in 1930, 15,000 men, women and children gather in the small Indiana town of Marion to witness the savage lynching of three teenagers. Miraculously, with the noose already around his neck, one is saved. This lynching is memorialized in an infamous photograph later published in Life Magazine’s “100 Photographs That Changed the World.”

The lynching haunts both the survivor and Marion for decades. Most townspeople – white and black – try to bury the “incident.” Cameron, on the other hand, spends the rest of his life on a one-man crusade to confront this history. He tells his story to anyone who will listen, writes a gripping memoir, and establishes the America’s Black Holocaust Museum to help the nation come to terms with a painful part of its history. To accomplish these goals he must face down the anger and hate within himself and in society.

James’ personal charm and his refusal to behave like a victim challenge the social order. He settles his young family only 30 miles from Marion and repeatedly returns there to do research for his book. He even tries to establish his museum in the very jail from which he was dragged to the tree. Finally, near the end of his life, Cameron and Marion’s residents achieve a deeply meaningful reconciliation.

The film moves between his extraordinary adult life and the events of the youth that shaped it: a joyride gone terribly wrong, three murders, an alleged rape, and the loving guidance of his mother, his cellmate and a county sheriff.

Fruit of the Tree is an American story, populated by heroes and scoundrels on both sides of the color line. In this period, when nooses are reappearing in schoolyards and offices, and our country is testing its willingness to elect an African American to the presidency, Cameron’s is a timely tale. His example offers an inspiring model of racial healing. It reminds us that we can choose to act on the mob mentality or the courageous Cameron that lives within us all.

IndieGoGo URL: http://www.indiegogo.com/FruitoftheTree

PITCH CLIP

Fruit of the Tree development trailer (How would you spend the rest of YOUR life if you had barely survived such a horrific hate crime in your teens?)

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VIDEOS

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Spoken Word Trailer: Gettin Grown

Our original spoken word trailer for our 1st feature film. 3 mins. Check it out!!! Buy GG at Target, Wal-Mart, Blockbuster, & at online retailers like Amazon.com and bn.com. Or go to our website (gettingrown.com) for a link to retailers.

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IMAGES

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Lynching in Marion IN, 1930

Cameron's buddies beaten and hung before Cameron was brought to the tree. This was a "spectacle lynching" with over 15,000 people streaming into small town Marion from all over Indiana to attend and -- apparently -- enjoy.

LINKS

Fruit of the Tree official website

short video, poster, info on team & project history

Gettin' Grown official website

Our awardwinning 1st feature to be released in early 2008 by Warner Bros Home Video

Americas Black Holocaust Museum

Only Am. memorial to victims of black holocaust, founded by James Cameron.

FUNDING

Goal
$500

How will these funds be used?
1) travel to meet with potential A-list cast; and,

2) produce written materials, maintain a phone line, and meet other day-to-day expenses.

Any amount you can contribute will be well-used and much appreciated. Thank you!

VIP PERKS

$25	Sower of Seeds	Get your own Fruit of the Tree dvd when released
$50	Fruit Fertilizer	Invitation to the Fruit Wrap Party + Fruit of the Tree dvd when released
$125	Fruit Cultivator	Invitation to be An Extra, attend the Wrap Party, get a Fruit of the Tree poster, and a Fruit of the Tree dvd when released
$250	Fruit Harvester	Invitation to Visit the Set and/or be An Extra, attend the Wrap Party, get Fruit of the Tree poster SIGNED BY A STAR! and a Fruit of the Tree dvd when released

HISTORY

August 03, 2008	Fundraising Expired ($2,000 of $5,000)	Funds use: The script is finished and has already won several awards. The next step is finding producing partners who can put up part of our budget. The screenplay is currently being considered by 3 actor-producers and 2 indie producers. To be ready to partner with them, we need to: 1) have our attorney prepare a variety of legal documents (including equity investor–SEC offerings); 2) travel to meet with potential partners and A-list cast; and, 3) produce written materials, maintain a phone line, and meet other day-to-day expenses. Any amount you can contribute will be well-used and much appreciated. Thank you!
May 01, 2008	Fundraising Canceled ($45 of $25,000)	Funds use: The script is completed and is being read by 5 potential producing partners: well-known indie producers and some A-list actors who also produce. Now we need funds to hire NYC casting directors to put us in contact with more of the A-list actors we seek, who will bring in money and foreign distribution possibilities, as well as others for our ensemble cast. These funds will also pay our entertainment lawyer for all kinds of chain of title documents and equity investor (SEC) offerings. A portion will also renew our option of James Cameron's life rights. The script is ready and well-reviewed, so the next step is finding partners who can put up parts of our $10-12 million budget. Thanks for anything you can help us with.

dr.fran (Thu Oct 30)
www.fruitofthetree.info www.gettingrown.com www.blackholocaustmuseum.org

dr.fran (Mon Jun 09)

CONTEST – WIN PRIZE FOR YOUR CAMERON STORY!!!

Do YOU have a story about meeting Dr. Cameron, hearing him speak, reading his book A Time of Terror, seeing a documentary about him, etc.? Post it on YouTube and send me the URL -- or send your story in text to me -- both to fran@fruitofthetree.info . Tell us how seeing or hearing Dr. Cameron's story or being in his presence affected you. Do this by the end of the fund-raising period: the best video and the best text story will be posted here and on our website and will win a valuable prize.

dr.fran (Sun Apr 20)
Multiple professional readers have covered Fruit. Their comments include: "I was enthralled with your story. The visuals are stunning, the characters well-explored and developed." "Cameron's fascinating." "The story is heartfelt, touching, dramatic, epic."

dr.fran (Sun Apr 20)

Stay tuned for the upcoming complete bios & filmographies of the rest of the creative team:

1)Aaron Greer, director of 4 films in distribution: Gettin' Grown; Not Color Blind, Just Near Sighted; Ballet Noir; and Flying Away: Portrait of an Artist. He is the co-writer of Fruit of the Tree and plans to direct the piece.

2)Anthony Ferraro, producer, media relations, and key artist on Gettin' Grown, roles he has also taken on for Fruit of the Tree. He runs his own design and advertising company, Visions To Reality.

3)Brad Pruitt, Emmy-awarding-winning director, producer and writer of documentaries and narrative films and TV programs, including Skin Complex, In the Net, Dear Rita, and The Promise of America. He serves as a producer on Fruit.