The April Fishes

QUICK LINKS

Synopsis Budget Project's Financial Needs Other Financial Support Current Stage of Production Estimated Completion Date Background Timeline Budget

Synopsis

Charging into the underbelly of immigration policy, Rupa leads her band the April Fishes on a rollicking tour to the US/Mexico border crusading against injustice.

There are those who say that borders are a necessary part of the world we live in and represent an essential cultural paradigm. Some believe they should be regulated closely; others can’t quite make sense of them. Meanwhile, the hope of a better existence and livelihood compels humans to risk their lives to cross the one of the most trafficked borders in the world. Finally, there are those who cross it to find the humanity that thrives in that journey.

April Fishes is a story about people who use their music to question the exclusive nature of the US/Mexico border. Told from the perspective of a San Francisco band, Rupa and the April Fishes, the story follows them as they tour border towns from Tijuana to the Gulf of Mexico. On this tour they will stay at detention centers, perform for deported immigrants, tag along with border agents who patrol the “wall,” and follow doctors collecting and examining the bodies of victims who perish in the desert. Opening their experience to the immigration ordeal, the band will witness the harsh realities and dissenting opinions about why a border exists and what that truly means. And throughout they play their signature upbeat world music that has reached the top 10 on Billboard’s world music charts. Through their multi-linguistic lyrics, challenging experiences on the tour, and a hopeful vision for an alternative, they bring the reality of the border and all it represents to an exponentially flourishing audience.

Budget:

$ 252,345.00

Project's Financial Needs

We will use the funds for production/post-production/distribution/marketing. Production: Travel with the band, concert shoots, camera operators, equipment.

Post-Production: Editing, translations, transcriptions, color correction, title/graphics, sound mix/sweetening.

Distribution/Marketing: Press kit, DVD authoring/duplication, Web design/maintenance.

Administrative: Production insurance, E&O insurance, permits, office supplies.

Other financial Support

We are targeting finanical support from various foundations that specifically fund film and immigration issues: Pacific Pioneer Fund, Sundance Institute, LEF Foundation, Chicken and Egg Foundation, Californai Council For the Humanities.

We are also seeking support from related organizations such as: National Immigration Forum, Mexican/American Legal Defense Fund, National Council of La Raza.

Current stage of production

Production

Estimated Completion Date

04/01/2010

Background

We met this band at Outside Lands last summer and fell in love with their energetic, eclectic music. We saw them again a few months later and started to hear about their interests. Rupa, we found out, happens to be a medical doctor at UC San Francisco. She is constantly working. It was while she was at the hospital that she ended up treating undocumented workers who had come to receive health care way too late in their disease process. Of course, they were afraid to come earlier because they would be deported. Face to face with the lost human element of border policy, Rupa felt that she could do more than just give health care to these people. She could tell their stories. One of Rupa's goals is to get closer to the experience of crossing the US/Mexico border. So she will take her band down to the border for a two-week tour that will expose them all to the stories and experiences of the Mexican people wanting a better life.

Timeline

Of course it all depends on how fast we get funds. We have just started and have gone into debt to start production (if only the stories could wait to be told until we get funds!). Ideally, we'd like to have a completed cut by April 1st 2010.

Budget

We have a project budget of 250K. We would like to do this right and so are budgeting for what we know and believe is a conservatively reasonable amount for such a documentary. However, to us, it's still a lot of money. We do have a bare bones budget that is closer to 50-75k. But this is dependent on us doing everything ourselves, which is not the best way to make a film (in our humble opinions). We just want you to know that even if we don't get the 250K we are still making this film! We'll do our best with what we receive. Thanks!