Individual Artist Project Grant

With my proven track record of film festival and international distribution, I picture "The Hunter" as an ambassador for Duluth's film community. The NYC and LA talent that I bring to Duluth for "The Hunter" will take word of the film community in Duluth back to the film production capitals. The names and work of the cast and crew of "The Hunter" will be introduced to film makers and enthusiasts throughout the world. This in turn will lead to more work for our local and regional talent - some outside Duluth, but perhaps also outside filmmakers bringing their work to Duluth using local talent. My successful completion of a second full-length narrative film will also spur other local filmmakers to aspire to similar accomplishments. (I know the aspirations driven by my work are real because I have been involved with the local Arrowhead Filmmakers Co-op, where those local filmmakers are part of the collaborative team which helps me with this work.) Because they will get to work and interact with the cast and crew, both the financial and in-kind donors may come to feel close to the cast and crew on "The Hunter" and will then possibly offer donations to other future work. .Ultimately, I think the community of Duluth as a whole also benefits. There are many studies showing that a community that shares and interacts with arts and culture is a healthier community, using the creativity gained through the arts to solve other problems. This is work that Duluth can be proud of!I divide accomplishments and outcomes of this work into two categories: those pertaining (1) to personal artistic ambition and (2) to worldwide audience impact. Addressing the audience of the finished film is an easier matter: I project that more people in more places will see and discuss my work. I don't hope or dream that they will all love it, but objective quantitative statistics on DVD purchases, online streaming numbers, festival attendance rosters, and frequency of online critique will provide ample information on how the work "succeeded" externally. Although the internal artistic effect is harder to measure, I believe that I will be able to personally assess whether the final film has provided a meaningful emotional and intellectual experience. I also look to the critique of trusted collaborators as to how they read the experience of this artwork. Finally, I value and heed the qualitative feedback I receive online from audience members who take time to respond to my work. Your confidence that I can complete this new work can be based on two objective factors:.(1) my track record with "In Winter," my freshman full-length film making effort and (2) the progress I have already made with this new project. "In Winter" demonstrated my ability to assemble a team around my artistic vision and then bring the project to a successful completion. It is almost unheard of for a first feature narrative by an unknown director to screen around the world, receive critical acclaim, and generate distribution royalties. I then used that accomplishment to jump-start my second full-length narrative film. With a working draft of "The Hunter" already on paper, my cast and crew are largely locked in, with enthusiastic commitments from both previous team members and new known MN, LA and NYC talent. That draft also helped drive a successful crowdfunding campaign with support from approximately 50 private donors who believe in my work and gave anywhere from $25 to $1500. My personal definition of success for this work is simple and complicated at the same time: "The Hunter" will be a success if it has beauty, power and integrity. This statement of success requires that I define these three words "Beauty" exhibits freshness, originality and thoughtfulness in the presentation and composition of an organic visual experience. "Power" in a film shows us a living, breathing world where we are touched emotionally and intellectually; it eschews the superficial, reaching for universal and core hu