As your year draws to a close Fish in the Hand Productions would like to update you on the progress we've been able to make with your tax-deductible donations in 2002.
As an incentive for you to continue your support of the arts and our current feature, The Faithful, in 2003 we're including a free thank you pack with every donation-please see the bottom of this letter for full details on how you can contribute!
It's been an exciting year for us at Fish in the Hand Productions. We added dozens more hours of footage and have wound down the production ("shooting") phase of this project. As you can imagine we are eager to begin the editing process and move to post-production so we can share our work with all of you-our "Faithful".
We traveled to Toronto in July with eighty remarkable Catholic youth from St. Mary's Church in Dedham, Massachusetts to celebrate World Youth Day with Pope John Paul II. We thank you St. Mary's for welcoming us on your pilgrimage. Despite inclement weather we were able to capture the excitement and buzz surrounding the pope's visit with 500,000 Catholic youths from across the globe.
In mid-August we continued our trek to Memphis, Tennessee for Elvis Presley's 25th Memorial Vigil-our second Elvis Week of the film. We met the most open, warm-hearted fans that invited us to share the experience with them. Besides fans (such as the father-son duo Joe and Kyle Passos and the "pink girls" Annie Schmutzer and Jerry Engelby) and impersonators (like Paul Butler and Ginger Elvis), we followed other artists such as Joni Mabe ("the Elvis Babe"), photographer Ralph Burns (who's been photographing Elvis week for the past 25 years!), and sculptor Michiel Van der Sommen who are inspired by the week's activities.
We also conducted a slew of interviews with everyone from Elvis's personal photographer, Alfred Wertheimer, to ebay's former in house Elvis expert, "Rock'n Robin," to Janaelle McComb who knew the Presley family in Tupelo, Mississippi. All in all we had a very successful time and met and interviewed the most wonderful of people.
In late August, a crew visited London for the fifth anniversary of Princess Diana's passing. There we met two dedicated fans of the Princess of Wales, Maria Lindberg and Gill Marsallis. We visited Princess Diana's Estate in Althorp and spoke with a representative of the Estate who relayed a story about Graceland CEO Jack Soden contacting him to give pointers. We spoke with Sid Shaw, owner of the Elvis Memorabilia shop "Elvisly-Yours," who sued Graceland and won when Graceland tried to trademark the name Elvis Presley in the United Kingdom. We spoke to veteran fleet photographer Arthur Edwards of The Sun who photographed Princess Diana since the moment she came on the scene.
During the course of the year we also had the pleasure of interviewing numerous other individuals who round out the Faithful's ensemble cast. Interviews included scholar, Erika Doss, author of Elvis Culture, Sean O'Neal, author of Elvis, Inc., tapestry artist Monique Lehman, whose brilliant Pope tapestry awarded her a private audience with the Pope, Media Liaison to the Vatican, Margorie Weeke in Rome, and correspondent for the National Catholic Reporter, John Allen, as well as artists Paul Richard, Kata Billups, and El Vez.
Everyone interviewed added to our already rich cast of characters that promises to make the Faithful an entertaining and educational film.
Fiscal Sponsorship In October, "The Faithful" was selected by the
Center of Independent Documentary
for fiscal sponsorship! What this means for us is that "The Faithful" can now raise money as a non-profit organization and C.I.D. will handle all of the bookkeeping.
Past films produced through C.I.D. are highly acclaimed and have been shown on public television, HBO, and theatrically. We are elated to be part of their organization.
How Can I Help?
Your contributions to "The Faithful" are tax-deductible, as our fiscal sponsor, the Center for Independent Documentary is a registered non-profit (501c3) organization. Simply complete the form below and send it to the address shown and we'll send you a thank you note that you can use for tax filing deductions.
Out of country donors wishing to make a donation can send money via Paypal to
Annie Berman
(Paypal contributions help the film, but are not tax deductible).
What's left to do? To complete this film, we need your support. Additional money is needed for the post-production process, including editing, film scoring, licensing, and distribution. This year has seen sizable budget cuts in funding for the arts and we can no longer rely on grants alone for support. In this economy, we must rely on contributions from individuals like you who appreciate the arts and show it via directed donations to organizations like C.I.D.
Some budget items that will need to be paid for in 2003 include the film score (done with live musicians by award winning composer Kaori Ishibashi), "final cut editing" by a veteran editor, final sound mix down, licensing fees, and pre-distribution costs. Many other expenses are provided "in kind" but there's often no substitute for cash. ;)
What are the Support Levels?
Free with every contribution, regardless of the size, is a special edition The Faithful button.
$100 or more will guarantee you an on-screen thank you (unless you prefer to remain anonymous) as well as a complimentary The Faithful T-shirt.
With a donation of $1,000 - $5,000, you will be listed as a "Primary Funder."
Donations greater than $5,000 will receive "Major Funder" status on screen and can include customized type faces/logos.
No contribution is too small (or too large)!
Donation checks can be made out to:
The Center for Independent Documentary (CID) and mailed to:
Fish in the Hand Productions
38 Springfield Street
Suite Two
Somerville, MA 02143.
You will receive and thank you note from CID which you can use for tax filing deductions. Be sure to date your check now in 2003 to receive tax benefits for 2003.
Annie Berman,Sara Therielt
Fish in the hand productions
~~NOTE FROM MARIA~~
We often ask..what can one person do...but with your tax free donation of even only $5.00..if 1000 of us send $5.00 just think..that would be $5,000.00 and the chance for those who loved her..respected her and remember her..to have a voice.
MARIA
