Like many artists, Austin’s creative community is increasingly turning to crowdfunding platforms to cover developmental costs. For potential backers, it can be hard to navigate all the sites out there, so we scour the web for local projects. Remember, do your own due diligence before you back anything.
Who’s raising the funds?
Abortion rights virtual reality doc The Choice.
What’s the project?
Polish Canadian director Joanne-Aska Popinska, with the assistance of VR filmmaker Tom C. Hall as creative and technical producer, combines technology and cinema for an immersive experience exploring the myriad reasons people choose to have an abortion. The project, which plans to film interview subjects in Austin this March, creates an interactive conversation between real people sharing their personal stories about abortion and the audience – who, via a VR headset, will be placed in the mind of a virtual person considering abortion.
Target:
$20,000 to cover interview production costs
What are the perks?
For two weeks, the highest donation each day will receive a copy of the Tamagotchi-style pregnancy simulator Fantastic Fetus, followed by the highest donation each week for the next six weeks. Beyond that, there are no backer perks, except the opportunity to 1) end the stigma surrounding the decision to have an abortion, and 2) with the Supreme Court scheduled to hear a major abortion rights case in a matter of months, the opportunity to join the fight against anti-abortion policymaking.
You can back the project now at www.gofundme.com.
This article appears in January 24 • 2020.
