Hi Gang,
You're amazing. We've raised over half the emergency "save our stock footage fund" to get closer to being able to wrap this 5 year movie project up and get it out to you. What's also really cool is that we're getting offers from professional technicians who simply want to help get this important archive of our community history finished.
My name is Heath Eiden. I am the director of the film "Dean and Me: Roadshow of an American Primary." My production team is going to keep on truckin' until we get the job done, just like Dean is doing with Moveon.org right now with healthcare reform.
We're finally at the finish line but my wife and I and two little kids simply can't carry this burden alone anymore.
That's why I’m continuing to appeal to you because the film isn’t just about Howard Dean and our questionable primary process.
It’s about us.
Please let me explain over the jump...
"Dean and Me" is about the people who set aside time in their own busy lives to work together on issues that are much bigger that ourselves.
It’s about the common goal we have of restoring our country so that the children at least have a chance to thrive in the kind of America we know exists under the current bondage of war and the profiteering that always goes with it.
But don't take my word alone as proof. naniboujou (of our community) wrote in a comment to us in a plea for folks to Pre-Order the final cut of the film:
"Did this show in Minneapolis at the film festival last year? If this is the movie I saw (with Ted Mondale in it), let me just say it was a delightful/inspiring movie. We loved it. If that's the movie...you will have a contribution. And be sure to add that it wasn't only my husband and I who thought the movie was inspiring. The entire Minneapolis crowd absolutely loved the movie. As you have implied, "Dean and Me" isn't just a story about one man and Howard Dean...it is a story about all of us who believe in and hope for a better America."
"To those of you who aren't sure whether you want to kick in on this venture--the movie is worth it just to see all the footage of Tucker Carlson! Trust me on this! I just kicked in $50.00. Looking forward to owning my own copy! Done!" --naniboujou
If there are so many in Washington, D.C. who wanted Howard Dean out of their Cocktail Party, there must be a reason for it, right? It may go as far back as 2003 when he stood up alone on a soapbox for us in the public square and declared, "I'm here to represent the Democratic wing of the Democratic Party!"
So many seem to be concerned about the traditional media around here--well here's a film that exposes what they are up to. Here's a film that shows how they limit our choices in our democracy if the candidate is a threat to the status quo. Here's a sample of the type of footage...
(*Important Note: The following teaser isn't what actually made the cut of the film! This is a small part of a short film we made four years ago but it also made filmmaker Ken Burns excited about our direction and focus on what the media is up to).
As Randy Shaw wrote recently in beyondchron.com (Howard Dean’s Return to DFA Can Spark National Activism, March 9, 2009), "Dean’s return to DFA could not have come at a better time. Not because the organization was flailing in his absence, but rather because he brings a fundraising prowess and star quality that will enable the group to rise to a greater level of effectiveness."
It’s time for us to stand up for Howard Dean again.
Here’s my plea to you:
My wife and I are at the end of our rope.
We sold our 16 acres of Vermont farmland to a developer to keep this film alive. Apparently, it wasn’t enough. We have no more land to sell.
Bye Bye meadows, turtles and memories!
We need your help.
For the past year "Dean and Me" has been touring film festivals even though the film isn’t finished. I hitched a ride down to President Obama’s inauguration to get the last shots that, ironically, will be the opening scene of the film.
My production team, Emmy award winner and chair of the SUNY Purchase Film School’s Iris Cahn (editor and co-producer), and Guggenheim Fellow, Emmy winner and SUNY Purchase’s Deanna Kamiel (co-producer), have worked for "progressive cause rates" for the past five years. In Deanna’s case, that means she hasn’t been paid a dime.
We’re not asking for a handout. We’re offering you a chance to help add one more tool to our progressive arsenal by Pre-Ordering the film for whatever you can afford.
Our needs are listed at the "Pre-order" page above. We have to raise $25,000 to complete the final cut. Wouldn’t it be great to finish the film the same way Howard Dean turned the Democratic Party establishment on its head back in 2004 with small donations from regular folks and helped pave the way for President Obama?
For a $40 minimum, you'll be entered into a raffle for a free week stay at a fancy hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
This historical archive of our community's progressive action is important. A tragic comedy shot in Cinema Verite’, though the film is packed with celebrities (listed at our web site), the real stars are you.
This is your film. This is one of our time capsules.
Please check out our website for more information.If you really want to get into the director’s head about how this all started, check out this diary at our blog.
Will you help us wrap this up so we can get it out there as part of our historical record?
So many in D.C. are trying to write our history the way they want it to read--let’s not let them get away with it!
Here's a way to help make sure.
Thanks so much for listening and letting us tell you about our struggle.
Sincerely,
Heath
Director
Dean and Me