Exeter Phoenix backs film's crowdfunding campaign

Award-winning, Devon-based filmmaker Tom Austin aims to raise £2500 to make his next short film Host Familie through crowdfunding platform crowdfunder.

Tom’s short film has been commissioned by Exeter Phoenix as one of the six short films they support each year [we’re guessing this is with it’s bursary scheme]. It is also the first Exeter Phoenix commission that requires that the filmmaker raises a large portion of the funds themselves. In this case the venue has pledged the first £500 of the target amount.

The film, Host Familie, is a dark comedy about Karl Dreher, a German undergraduate who hopes to work in the German automotive industry. He comes to the English Riviera to improve his English and is lodged with the dysfunctional Robinson family. Each one of them seems to be lacking something in their life and they hope that Karl can fill that gap.

Backers could be rewarded with perks such as limited edition art work, a personal choice of vinyl records from the director himself and VIP tickets to the premiere screening.

Phil Geraghty, crowdfunder managing director, said: “It’s great to see an independent film maker crowdfunding his latest idea. It’s also fantastic to see Exeter Phoenix supporting Tom with his idea, we are all about bringing project owners and communities together and this is a great example of this.”

Exeter Phoenix digital manager Jonas Hawkins told the PRSD: ‘We are excited and very proud to be pushing our filmmakers in to new territories. We are looking forward to seeing how this platform can take filmmakers a step further.’

The deadline for pledges is Monday, August 19 and shooting is planned to take place in August. The finished film would be premiered at Two Short Nights Film Festival 2013 in December.