A Fundraiser for Floodplain, a Short Documentary

Dear friends and colleagues,

As some of you may know, Samuel and ái have been working on a 20 minute short documentary entitled “Floodplain” for the past three years. This short documentary is the second in a series in partnership with Go Austin/Vamos Austin, a nonprofit in Austin with whom we’ve been partnering to create three short films on spotlighting different issues in Austin. The first film was “La Cosecha,” a 13 minute film focusing on Nolvia Castillo, and her journey with the food distribution program which distributes fresh, organic food to households in lower income neighborhoods.

 

The Film

Floodplain focuses on the story of 3 residents who survived, and are recounting the night a catastrophic flood hit their homes in Onion Creek in 2013. Named as the ominous “Halloween Flood,” the FEMA-named disaster was one of the final straws in catalyzing these residents to move out of their neighborhood. This flood is just one of a long history of flooding in Austin, and the response from the city left much to be desired.

Our desire, 10 years after this tragedy, is to ensure that this important moment in Austin's history is remembered, and that the ongoing and increasing threats of flooding in central Texas are better understood. Through collaborative and community organizing efforts, GAVA and others are driving more equitable and green infrastructure improvements for drainage, influencing regional responses to land and water management in the face of climate change, and training residents in vulnerable areas to anticipate, prepare, and respond to flooding events. We hope that this film will be a powerful storytelling force that moves people to action while honoring the sacrifices of community members whose experience has helped us move toward a safer and more just future.

 

The Ask

Our original budget for this film was for a 15 minute short. However, due to the richness of the story, we felt that we needed a full 20 minutes to tell the story with as much depth and information as it deserves.

In order to finish the film, we are seeking to raise up to $6,000 USD for post-production. These fund would enable us to pay Wonji Lee, an incredible artist, for original film composition, along with other expenses such as animation, design, and conforming. All of these aspects will help make sure the film is the best that it can be, pay our artists for their work, and that we can honor the stories shared with us.

The decision to conduct a private fundraiser stems from the sensitive nature of the film and our desire to maintain a high level of confidentiality during these final stages. Throughout the production process, we have deeply valued the involvement of our community, with a resident advisory committee diligently providing feedback on each cut. Out of utmost respect for community members and the delicate topics addressed, we have chosen to keep this fundraising round exclusive to swiftly secure the necessary funds.

We've set a goal to raise $6,000 and The Solutions Project has partnered with GAVA to help us meet this goal! This means we just have to raise $3,000 — will you help us meet their match by August 5th? 

Thank you so much, friends and colleagues, for all of your support thus far. We are immensely grateful to you for being part of our community of support, and we really couldn’t have made it this far without you.

Abrazos,

Samuel & ái

PS: We’ve included a short video where you get to listen to 3 excerpts of Wonji’s work with us this far (but it’s not final!) so just a sneak peak of what we’re working on.

 

How to Donate

 Paypal: paypal.me/tapistory

Venmo: @tapistory or https://account.venmo.com/u/tapistory

Any amount would be tremendously helpful to our journey to finish this film. Please write “Floodplain” along with the donation.

Benefits You’ll Receive!

  • Any donation gets your name mentioned in the “Special Thanks” end credits of the film :)

  • Plus a personalized note from Samuel & ái :)

  • Any donation above $100 will receive a TÁPI STORY Baseball cap

  • Any donation above $250 will get a sneak peak of the trailer before it’s out

  • Any donation above $500 will get a private online screening and Q&A of the film with us!