Like many film festivals presented throughout the US and worldwide, the Tribeca Film Festival in New York is an opportunity for directors, both veterans and ingenues, to have their work seen by industry insiders and cinephiles, but sometimes life gets in the way. Venezuelan director Marianne Amelinckx Labrador is one such auteur lucky enough to have a film playing a this year’s festival, a story of love and friendship called Salta (Dive). Inspired by Marianne’s own experiences as a teenage girl, Salta received enough attention during the production phase to be sponsored and funded by the Venezuelan Film Committee before being accepted into the Tribeca Shorts program.
But Marianne might not make it to her own film’s premiere due to on-going financial issues in her native Venezuela. The nation has been in a horrific recession since 2013, leading to massive shortages in food and other essentials. For Marianne, the cost associated with travel, the country’s problems, and Venezuela’s currency exchange control that doesn’t allow for processing of foreign transactions have caused her to turn to crowd-funding.
Marianne’s crowdfunding campaign seeks $3,350 to get herself to New York; all funds will go to her expenses and paying for backer rewards. Perks for those who pledge monetary support are varied and range from a digital media kit, to a personalized thank-you card, to attending the festival with her! Considering Salta is only the second Venezuelan film to make it all the way to Tribeca, there are plenty of incentives to help make Marianne’s dream a reality.
Salta (Dive) plays at the Tribeca Film Festival in the Shorts: Postcards program.