Legendary Producer Turns To Kickstarter To Fund Post-Production of His Directional Debut
Back in April, producer Ben Barenholtz announced that he would be making his feature film directorial debut with “Alina.” Now, the 80-year-old legend has completed principal photography on the movie and has created a Kickstarter campaign to help fund the project’s post-production.
“Alina,” also written by Barenholtz, stars award-winning actress Darya Ekamasova as a Russian woman who goes to New York in search of the father she never met.
“Principal photography has been completed with a fantastic cast and crew,” says the helmer on the Kickstarter page. “I am now in the editing process and I think I have a good film but I won’t know how good it is until we finish post-production. And I need your help to do that.”
READ MORE: Producer Ben Barenholtz to Make Directing Debut at Age 80 (Exclusive)
At the time of this publication, Barenholtz’s campaign has raised over $24,000 of its $80,000 goal. He hopes that this will help fund the final elements of the production and have it be completed in time for the 2017 film festivals. The project has received enormous support from the Coen Brothers, Frances McDormand, David Lynch, John Turturro and Tim Blake Nelson.
The ultra-low-budget New York film was financed by Barenholtz, with help from friends he has assisted in the past. “Not only do we want to take you into this journey of the filmmaking process, but we have a great opportunity to share some insight and behind the scenes stories along the way,” Barenholtz adds.
The film exhibitor, distributor and producer has previously directed two documentaries, his first was the 2005 jazz doc “Music Inn,” followed by “Walkiwood: The Documentary” (2013), shot entirely in the slums of Kampala, Uganda.
To learn more about the “Alina” and how you can donate to the film, click here.
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