Help Indy Catholic Filmmakers Get Their Movie Out

Today’s work of mercy:

I hope you’re doing well. I wanted to share this letter about a feature documentary film my husband and I have been producing in Afghanistan for three years. I would be very grateful if you could watch the trailer and share something about the film and campaign on Facebook. We really want to bring it to the world in a theatrical release, and need support to do that, and I know you have a large network of people you’re in contact with on Facebook.

Thanks so much and I hope that our paths will cross one day! my husband I just moved to LA from Kabul, so it’s a big adjustment, but we’re slowly settling in.

With warm regards,

Elissa

We are very excited to share the crowdfunding campaign for our first feature documentary, Laila at the Bridge. You can watch the trailer and make a contribution at http://cinecrowd.com/nl/laila-bridge-2. Cinecrowd is a Dutch platform, so while all amounts are in Euro, anyone from anywhere can make a donation. As this is an Afghan film, we have beautiful rewards available from Afghanistan, including some very special ones made by the recovered addicted men themselves.

As you may know, Gulistan and I have been filming this documentary, which we funded entirely on our own, in Afghanistan over the course of three years. Set against the backdrop of the drug war, we follow the brave Laila Haidari as she tries to rehabilitate heroin addicts as the drug becomes increasingly available. When we began filming in 2012, there were one million drug users in Afghanistan. As of May 2015, that figure has reached three million, or a staggering 11 percent of the population. At its heart, this is a story about the unseen costs of war, the fight for human dignity and the courage to love one’s neighbor, even when that person is an outcast and unwanted by society.

At this stage, we can no longer fund the film on our own, as we have reached post-production, the most expensive part of any film. This campaign is critical to be able to finish the film, and your support allows us to prepare this project for a theatrical release. We have an amazing team on board who have won many awards and received numerous accolades, including several Emmy and Academy Award nominations. Any funds raised beyond our goal will go toward the fine cut, marketing and distribution of the film upon its release.

Even if you can’t make a contribution, you can still help support our campaign. Please share the campaign page on Facebook and Twitter. You can also sign up for our mailing list through this link to receive updates on the progress of the campaign and information about more ways to help us spread the word so we can reach our goal: http://eepurl.com/bxNjTn

This goes without saying, but we promise we won’t flood your inbox! We’ll also share campaign updates on the film’s Facebook page: www.facebook.com/lailaatthebridge

Thank you and, as we say in Afghanistan, tashakor az mohabat shoma,

Elissa and Gulistan Mirzaei