About the film

Restoring the Light is an hour-long documentary about a local eye doctor's quest to provide free healthcare to remote impoverished villages in northwest China. His journey reveals an intimate portrait of an unobserved Chinese farming community's resilience and hope.

What we need

This film has been a project three years in the making, and we have finally locked picture. However, we must raise funds for the quality original music score the film deserves, as well as complete a sound mix, high definition tape masters and fulfill marketing and delivery costs. We are severely short of funds in our final stage of post-production before we debut at film festivals and we need to raise at least $20,000, the bare minimum for us to keep moving forward.

I hope you'll watch our trailer and help us bring the stories of this remarkable community of everyday heroes to the world. We also welcome non-monetary donations of time or expertise in the areas of outreach, marketing, web/poster design and social media strategies. You can visit our website www.restoringthelight.com for more information about our project and team. We look forward to your contribution.

Carol Liu
Director/Producer

Why donate? The significance of this film project goes beyond China; it is about our shared human experience.

When I first began this documentary in early 2008, I was doing so in reaction to two discouraging trends in the way China was being portrayed in the media. For one, I felt there was an overabundance of fear-mongering stories about China's financial rise. Over sixty percent of the nation dwells in the countryside and yet, their stories and struggles somehow seemed less important, even on domestic Chinese television. International documentaries on rural China that did exist felt outdated and had a tendency to gravitate towards ethnography, in which subjects are viewed through a lens of somewhat exotic curiosity. As China was beginning to play an increasingly important role on our world stage, I wanted to promote its budding humanitarian consciousness and craft a portrait of an unobserved society that resonated more universally.

China is a country caught up in monumental changes and contrasts, where coal mine owners drive Ferraris alongside school children suffering from vitamin deficiencies. Essentially one hundred years of progress crammed into twenty, as the saying often goes. Restoring the Light is situated in the middle of all that chaos and is about people who simply try to live their lives as best they can, with the circumstances they have been afforded. It is no small feat and sometimes, local heroes arise out of their midst to do more, like the inspiring figure of Dr. Zhang.

The past three years have humbled me and redefined me. What started with a very concrete purpose has instead become a very personally affecting journey, and like all personal discoveries, the significance deepens with the passage of time and reflection. During trying times in my own life, I look to the resolve of Rongrong and her family for strength, to the bright spirit of Juncheng for a greater appreciation of what constitutes bliss, and to the determination of Dr. Zhang for the confidence to blazon one's own path. Their incredible capacity for hope, their compassion and quiet resilience enlighten one's own experience of this life we share together in common. I hope their stories will open your heart and mind, as they have mine.

Why does filmmaking cost so much?

Below are some sample standard costs of finishing. This list is by no means exhaustive but provides a look at what we're up against in order to professionally finish our documentary.

    HD Master tapes for screening/exhibition: $1000?
    Title Design/Animation: $3000
    ?Sound mix, editing, design: $8500?
    Color Correction: $6000?
    Festival Entry Fees: $2000?
    Broadcast requirements (including errors and omissions): $5500

$20,000 raised would allow us to continue moving forward, though needs will remain. We're currently seeking corporate and institutional sponsorship as well. As a non-profit fiscally sponsored project, all donations $1000+ are completely tax deductible. Consider corporate matching or becoming an angel investor. Contact us for more details at info@restoringthelight.com or via the private messaging link on IndieGoGo.