Fundraising Goal: $25,000 USD
On the morning of January 1, 1863, when a group of slaves on Georgia's Kasealy Plantation attempt to claim the freedom promised them by the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation, several of them are killed. After seeing her own son shot down in front of her, Nessa Miller abandons the new world beliefs instilled in her for the comfort and security of the spiritual traditions of her home land. With revenge on her heart and blood on her hands, she conjures an Impundulu to bring justice to the man responsible for taking away her child. She convinces other slaves to follow her in her plan to acquire a new kind of salvation by way of a new kind of savior; a salvation paid for in blood and taken by force.
In South African spirituality, the Impundulu, also called the Lightening Bird, is recognized by several different tribes. The name Lightning Bird is derived from the idea that the shimmer of their wings are what produce lightning and the sound produces thunders. It is a vampiric creature that can kill or turn others. It is also thought to be a shapeshifter, roughly the size of a human. The origin of the Lightning Bird can differ from culture to culture. It can be conjured by a witch to exact revenge on those who wronged them or serve as a witch's familiar. According to most tales, an Impundulu can only be vanquished by feeding it poisoned milk or killing its maker.
NESSA drives the story and serves as the most prominent vehicle for the theme. She represents the struggle between old world tradition and new world norms, a dilemma that remains relevant. She is an active believer, putting her faith in whatever suits her in her current station, exemplified by her abandonment of Christianity and embracing of African spirituality while battling her grief over the loss of her son.
HORACE represents the passive believer, one who's beliefs systems aren't necessarily fluid, but also aren't black and white. His undying support of and trauma bond with his wife is evident in his use of Christian scripture while exacting his revenge. For Horace, avenging his son doesn't mean abandoning one God for another. It means joining the two to get through his guilt.
Thematically, this film explores religion/morality and it's relation to revenge. It questions the role of Christianity as sort of a forced and somewhat artificial religion for African Americans. Today, among the African diaspora specifically, there is some division over whether the way in which Christianity was introduced to Africans in the Americas and has been manipulated throughout the generations deems it a hoax or just an miraculous end to horrific means.
While in color, there are sepia undertones to the cinematography. Black and white also gives the film a dated look, but sepia tone relays the thematic intent better. Sepia uses red and brown tones to create highlights and shadows. While the red represents the blood that is spilled as a result of revenge, the brown represents close relationship between marginalized individuals and non-Christian beliefs. The artistic decision to include color instead of solely utilizing sepia tone is to denote the theme's relevance to modern day America.
Every dollar donated gets us one step closer to bringing this world to life, and we could not be more grateful. As such, we're offering some crazy good perks to our dedicated donors to show our gratitude!
$50+ A personalized sharable social media shout out.
$150+ All of the above plus, a Savior of '63 t-shirt.
$250+ All of the above plus, access to exclusive Behind the Scenes footage and photos from the shoot.
$500+ All of the above plus, an 11x17 inch print of the official film poster signed by the cast and directors.
$1,000+ All of the above plus, a first look private virtual screening with the directors and cast members.
$2,500+ All of the above plus, one ticket to the screening party and an ASSOCIATE PRODUCER credit on the film.
$5,000+ All of the above, two tickets to the screening party, along with a CO-PRODUCER credit on the film.
$10,000+ All of the above, an 27x40 inch print of the official film poster signed by the cast and directors, four tickets to the screening party, along with an EXECUTIVE PRODUCER credit on the film.
**Travel and lodging not included with screening tickets**