Company/Organization Profiles | Filmmaking | Kickstart New England | New England | Television

Kickstart New England: Eat Plants Love Animals and An Act of Dog

3 Jan , 2014  

Written by Casey Stirling | Posted by:

Every month, NewEnglandFilm.com highlights new local film projects looking for funding via crowd-sourcing. This month, we are featuring two campaigns, both documentaries supporting animals: Eat Plants Love Animals, on Indiegogo, and An Act of Dog, on Kickstarter. To feature your film in this series, e-mail editor@newenglandfilm.com.

Eat Plants Love Animals

New Hampshire filmmaker Larry Holmes hopes to shine a spotlight on vegan restaurants and the need for change in animal treatment with his upcoming web and television series Eat Plants Love Animals, currently seeking support on Indiegogo. The weekly show will feature vegan restaurants and chefs throughout New England, while also highlighting the benefits of a vegan diet for humans, animals, and the planet.

The project is a personal one for Holmes, his wife Gabriela, and their son Jared. All three are passionate about preventing and stopping animal cruelty. Gabriela was a vegetarian for most of her life before becoming vegan, and her own recipes, connections to local vegan chefs, and talents as a singer will feature on Eat Plants Love Animals. Jared is a college student who shares a similar commitment to educating people about animal cruelty. Larry has worked as a cameraman and producer for television stations in New Hampshire and Vermont, and as he writes on the project’s Indiegogo page, he and his family hope supporters of Eat Plants Love Animals will “help us spread the word and help stop the senseless pain and suffering of animals everywhere.”

The goal is to raise $25,000 by February 14, 2014. Perks are available for different donation levels. Read more about Eat Plants Love Animals and donate at the project’s Indiegogo page.

An Act of Dog

Massachusetts company Sagacity Productions seeks Kickstarter support for their documentary An Act of Dog. The film will explore the dark side of animal shelters and one couple’s efforts to spread awareness through art.

Not long after Marina Dervan and Mark Barone fell in love, Mark’s beloved dog Santina passed away from old age. During her search to potentially adopt a new dog from a shelter, Marina discovered how many animals are euthanized every year in the United States and began printing images of dogs about to be or already euthanized. Despite how painful they both found the subject, Marina convinced Mark, an artist, to join her efforts. As the project’s Kickstarter page explains, Marina reminded Mark of the images, “If we don’t look at them, nothing will change.” Mark’s goal is to paint 5,500 animal portraits, representing the number of dogs euthanized in American shelters each day.

Sagacity Productions hopes to raise $5,833 by January 22nd. Funds will cover production and travel costs to film Marina and Mark in Louisville, Kentucky. Filmmakers behind An Act of Dog include producer Bonnie Silva and director Russ Barry. To watch a brief video, check out photos, read more about the film, and donate, visit An Act of Dog’s Kickstarter page.