Crowdfund This! Political Drama BEFORE THE SPRING

What's fantastic about exploring the bevy of crowd-sourced film projects out there is just the sheer variety of the work that is being proposed. It is, in many ways, quite invigorating.
Of course, quality and content is a concern when considering what projects to support with your hard earn dollars. Good news then that Before The Spring looks to be of the utmost quality, promising a unique look into a world rarely seen in the West.

On the brink of the 2011 Arab Spring uprising in Egypt, a young man's life falls apart when he is tortured and extorted by corrupt police officers. When finally given the opportunity to take revenge on his assailants, he must choose whether to perpetuate the violence or break the cycle.

What's so promising about Before The Spring is that while we've had some stunning documentary looks into what is arguably the most critical world event of the last several years, there have yet to be any captivating narrative features on the subject. What's more are the people behind the film. Director Abdallah Omeish latest project was the HBO doc Witness: Libya, while screenwriter James Kaelan has carved himself an impressive niche on the indie side of the industry as the former senior editor of MovieMaker Magazine, writer of the novel We're Getting On, and the subsequent documentary about his bicycle-bound book tour.

What's extra cool about this one is that they're crowdfunding on the (I think) revolutionary film site Seed&Spark. I've had the pleasure of working with these folks on several occasions and their approach to a sustainable film culture is stupendous. With the wish list you can pick exactly what part of the production your money will go to.

As it is, they're getting down to the wire with 4 days left in the campaign. Their goal: $40,000 for initial development and a test scene. The good news is that they're in sight of that, but could most certainly use a push.

But enough from me. Head on over to Before The Spring's page on Seed&Spark and take a look at the pitch video with actor/producer Aaron Ramzi, Kaelan and Omeish.