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THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!
UPDATE: I want to thank everyone who helped us reach our minimum fundraising goal of $5,500! Your support and words of encouragement have been overwhelming! I am so thrilled that you feel as passionately about this story and project as I do!
While we reached the minimum goal set with IndieGoGo, our expenses will exceed $5,500, so we still need your help to cover the expenses of the film. In addition to the costs related to the post production work listed below, one of the remaining high budget items includes error and omission insurance. There is no doubt that the content of the film will trigger controversy, and the release of the film is dependent upon insurance coverage. We also need funding to pay for film festival submission fees (to help spread the message of this film!)
Thank you so very much for your support and passion!
Much love, Robert
Change was brought about in by courageous, dedicated and outspoken individuals, and YOU can help us bring this important and inspirational film about that journey to the world.
ABOUT THE EVENT:
June 28, 2009: On the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall Rebellion (considered the birth of the modern gay rights movement), city police and officers from the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission raided a Fort Worth, Texas gay bar, resulting in multiple customer arrests and serious injuries. That late night bar raid sparked a historic chain of events in Fort Worth, igniting an unprecedented wave of activism, turning a tragedy into swift civic and social change.
Starting with emotional, first hand accounts of the raid, this 90-100 minute film documents the raid's aftermath and its lasting affect on the victims, the Fort Worth community and beyond. Directed by Robert L. Camina.
(To read more about the raid, including details of multiple allegations made by officers that patrons groped and/or made sexual explicit movements towards them once they were in the bar, please follow this link)
THE PRODUCTION:
Production on this documentary began 12 hours after the controversial "bar inspection".
At the time, I didn't know what my story was going to be. Amidst the chaos and confusion, no one could ever have fathomed how the story would eventually play out. However, my instincts told me that I was witnessing something historic, and I needed to capture it. Over the next few weeks, I saw a community come together and create change; Change not only to better the gay and lesbian community, but change that made the city and state safer for all its citizens. That passion drove me to complete this film.
In the 17 months since the raid, I have conducted over 40 hours of on-camera interviews with witnesses and key players. After months of negotiations, the Chief of Police, Jeffrey Halstead agreed to a 45 minute, exclusive, on camera interview for this documentary. To date, no other media outlet has been granted access to the Chief for this length of time to discuss the controversy surrounding the Rainbow Lounge raid. In addition to the interviews, I shot more than 30 hours of video from city council meetings,
protests, rallies, marches, town hall meetings, press conferences and more.
Our production also has in its possession the complete internal investigation reports and evidence, including sworn witness statement transcripts (from the involved officers and bar patrons), police dispatch recordings, cruiser dash cam video and crime scene photographs. The film has also been granted permission to use the only photos taken DURING the raid.
WHAT WE NEED & WHAT YOU GET:
Production of the film is drawing to a close. Assembly is set for completion in late February 2011.
However, to finalize and lock the picture, we need to raise at least $5,500 by April 4, 2011. Your donation will go towards crucial post production work including: audio mixing, the purchase of rights for newscast interviews that I was not able to secure myself (the man who suffered a brain injury and the officer accused of causing the injury) and graphic design for the opening title and closing credits.
Please contribute by clicking the links on the right side of this page. Every little bit helps!! If you contribute now, you will also receive a token(s) of our gratitude.
One of the main messages of the film is: "Don't underestimate the power of your voice". Please SPREAD THE WORD - email your family and friends links to this site, to our website: www.caminaentertainment.com, post on Facebook and Twitter, and talk to people the old-fashioned way about the RAID OF THE RAINBOW LOUNGE.
WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING ABOUT THE FILM:
To read letters of support, please follow this link: http://www.caminaentertainment.com/Site_3/Letters_of_support.html
For more details about the film, the director and Camina Entertainment, please visit our website at www.caminaentertainment.com.
Created By:
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Robert CaminaDirector/Producer