Share This Campaign:
Our Story
Hi! I'm Sandra Salas (writer/director). Me and and my
producer Stephanie Watanabe embarked on an adventure together in June
2009 to make an important feature documentary film, Recovering Irma.
Recovering Irma is a personal story about my familys journey to stop the cycle in the aftermath of domestic violence homicide.
On June 5th1995, my dad killed
my mom and killed himself. My mom, Irma, was the heart and soul of our
family and it was devastating when my dad killed her.
Last year when my nephew Lorenzo called me
and told me he had to attend anger management class because of a
domestic dispute between him and his wife, my stomach sank and I thought
to myself, just when does the cycle end? and I realized I didnt have
the answer. At that moment, I made a decision to do something about it.
As a result, my nephew and I are taking a
road trip from San Francisco to my parents hometown of El Paso. Along
the way, were interviewing the people my mom loved and visiting her
favorite places. Since, my mom truly loved my dad; were going to get to
know him better too.
Were also meeting with perpetrators,
survivors, & domestic violence experts and as the road trip unfolds
my nephew will quickly discover this journey is a chance to see what he
could become if he doesnt change. My hope is by going back to where it
all began; well have a chance to be set free.
The Impact
Domestic violence is a worldwide pandemic. The most recent numbers suggest that 1 in 4 women will experience domestic violence in her lifetime. 1 in 4! It's hard to even comprehend...
This problem crosses all racial, socio-economic, and gender
barriers. And it affects not just those who experience it first hand,
but entire neighborhoods, communities and towns. We ALL need to come
together, take a stand, and begin to openly talk about how we can stop
the violence.
Our film has the potential to ignite a huge conversation
around domestic violence. The positive impact in communities around the
country could be incredible and unprecedented. Our message is one of
hope, healing and change. And we're bringing a young, male voice to the
conversation, which we believe is an important step in helping men to
become part of the solution (and not just "the problem").
By bringing a level of positivity, awareness and attention
to a topic that is often shrouded in shame and silence, we hope to
engage audiences around the country to stop the cycle and start a
movement towards lasting change.
Failure is not an option here. We WILL make this
film. We owe it to not only Irma Salas, but all of the other women,
men, children and communities who have and continue to be affected by
domestic violence.
Our Story
Hi! I'm Sandra Salas (writer/director). Me and and my producer Stephanie Watanabe embarked on an adventure together in June 2009 to make an important feature documentary film, Recovering Irma.
Recovering Irma is a personal story about my familys journey to stop the cycle in the aftermath of domestic violence homicide.
On June 5th1995, my dad killed my mom and killed himself. My mom, Irma, was the heart and soul of our family and it was devastating when my dad killed her.
Last year when my nephew Lorenzo called me and told me he had to attend anger management class because of a domestic dispute between him and his wife, my stomach sank and I thought to myself, just when does the cycle end? and I realized I didnt have the answer. At that moment, I made a decision to do something about it.
As a result, my nephew and I are taking a road trip from San Francisco to my parents hometown of El Paso. Along the way, were interviewing the people my mom loved and visiting her favorite places. Since, my mom truly loved my dad; were going to get to know him better too.
Were also meeting with perpetrators, survivors, & domestic violence experts and as the road trip unfolds my nephew will quickly discover this journey is a chance to see what he could become if he doesnt change. My hope is by going back to where it all began; well have a chance to be set free.
The Impact
Domestic violence is a worldwide pandemic. The most recent numbers suggest that 1 in 4 women will experience domestic violence in her lifetime. 1 in 4! It's hard to even comprehend...
This problem crosses all racial, socio-economic, and gender barriers. And it affects not just those who experience it first hand, but entire neighborhoods, communities and towns. We ALL need to come together, take a stand, and begin to openly talk about how we can stop the violence.
Our film has the potential to ignite a huge conversation around domestic violence. The positive impact in communities around the country could be incredible and unprecedented. Our message is one of hope, healing and change. And we're bringing a young, male voice to the conversation, which we believe is an important step in helping men to become part of the solution (and not just "the problem").
By bringing a level of positivity, awareness and attention to a topic that is often shrouded in shame and silence, we hope to engage audiences around the country to stop the cycle and start a movement towards lasting change.
Failure is not an option here. We WILL make this film. We owe it to not only Irma Salas, but all of the other women, men, children and communities who have and continue to be affected by domestic violence.
To get closer to the next phase of shooting interviews with
family, friends (which we're planning for NOVEMBER & DECEMBER of 2011) and
to keep this well-oiled machine going...we need to raise A MINIMUM $5,000 in September & October.
Our last few campaigns have helped us keep the momentum
going, but we need to keep the funding coming if we want to get closer
to shooting this summer.
Here's how your donation helps us:
$1 to $99 ~ We can pay
for our social media tools (YAY marketing!!), send out updates to our
peeps, pay utilities & use of Basecamp (seriously, a GODSEND) and
our liability insurance (oh the glamour!)
$100 - $499 ~ We can pay for our legal & accounting fees and we can start saving for our road-trip (yeeehaw!!)
$500 + ~ Most
importantly we can pay our crazy affordable (by Bay Area standards) rent
in our cozy Berkeley digs, we can jump start pre-production by
purchasing a new laptop for the office, we can start paying ourselves
and our ROCKSTAR intern (Jeffrey) and save even more to help get. this.
show. on. the. road. Yay!!
This is just a short list of what your donation helps us achieve. There's lots more where this came from!
Check out the boxes to the right for more info on what YOU get when you GIVE. It's a win-win!
Other Ways You Can Help
We completely understand that not everyone is in a position
to help us with funding. But there are SO many other ways you can help
us!
Spread the word ~ if you are on Facebook, Twitter, or any
other social media sites - mention our project and ask your friends
& family to join us and support our efforts!
We are also trying to meet like-minded NGO's, non-profits,
corporate brands and investors who might be interested in our film. If
you think you know someone who might be a good fit, send us an email: info@recoveringirma.com
Thank you for your support of not only our film, but of
indie filmmakers across the board! Your help means the world to us and
keeps us going everyday. Cheers!
To get closer to the next phase of shooting interviews with family, friends (which we're planning for NOVEMBER & DECEMBER of 2011) and to keep this well-oiled machine going...we need to raise A MINIMUM $5,000 in September & October.
Our last few campaigns have helped us keep the momentum going, but we need to keep the funding coming if we want to get closer to shooting this summer.
Here's how your donation helps us:
$1 to $99 ~ We can pay for our social media tools (YAY marketing!!), send out updates to our peeps, pay utilities & use of Basecamp (seriously, a GODSEND) and our liability insurance (oh the glamour!)
$100 - $499 ~ We can pay for our legal & accounting fees and we can start saving for our road-trip (yeeehaw!!)
$500 + ~ Most importantly we can pay our crazy affordable (by Bay Area standards) rent in our cozy Berkeley digs, we can jump start pre-production by purchasing a new laptop for the office, we can start paying ourselves and our ROCKSTAR intern (Jeffrey) and save even more to help get. this. show. on. the. road. Yay!!
This is just a short list of what your donation helps us achieve. There's lots more where this came from!
Check out the boxes to the right for more info on what YOU get when you GIVE. It's a win-win!
Other Ways You Can Help
We completely understand that not everyone is in a position to help us with funding. But there are SO many other ways you can help us!
Spread the word ~ if you are on Facebook, Twitter, or any other social media sites - mention our project and ask your friends & family to join us and support our efforts!
We are also trying to meet like-minded NGO's, non-profits, corporate brands and investors who might be interested in our film. If you think you know someone who might be a good fit, send us an email: info@recoveringirma.com
Thank you for your support of not only our film, but of indie filmmakers across the board! Your help means the world to us and keeps us going everyday. Cheers!
Team on This Campaign:
-
Stephanie WatanabeProducer
-
Sandra SalasWriter/Director