All films start with a great story. It takes someone with that rare cinematic eye to
take a great story and make it extraordinary. Local filmmaker, Brett Ferster sees a
story that way. He also sees opportunity to create something as a collective, which
is why with his forthcoming film short, ‘Dryland’, he has developed a campaign on
Kickstart (www.kickstarter.com) to help fund this new project.

‘Dryland’ takes us back to the dusty hardworn days of prohibition. A story loosely
based on Ferster’s own grandfather’s touch with fate during the era of moonshine
and the mob, ‘Dryland’ tells the story of a family struggling to survive during this
tumultuous time. One day their daughter Jolene follows her father to one of his
dealings and she ends up caught in a labyrinth of danger and confusion. The film
exposes her world as she is tossed between childhood naivety and adult liabilities.

Ferster, the director of the film is giving Calgarians a unique offer – to actively
support and contribute in the making of this film set to be shot in Calgary.

“’Crowd-funding’ is the process by which the public at large becomes involved by
contributing financially to a cause or project. In this case, Kickstarter allows people
to become ‘backers’ of a project and actively participate in the filmmaking process,”
affirms the ambitious auteur. “The level of participation for Calgarians on the film is
in proportion to the amount of backing they give to the film.”

For each sponsorship level, financial backers receive benefits such as a private
dinner with the filmmakers or an original photo book documenting every step of
the filmmaking process. There is a catch, however: the filmmakers only have 28
more days to complete the fundraising mission. If the film doesn’t reach the $15,
000 goal by April 11 at 1:00AM, the backer’s transactions aren’t processed and
the filmmakers lose the money. Ferster hopes that the stimulating opportunity to
participate and support the making of a local film will inspire Calgary film-lovers to
help the ‘Dryland’ crew reach their goal.

To participate in the making of Dryland visit www.drylandfilm.com.