It’s a Wrap! “Voices of Deoli” Kickstarter Campaign Concludes
By Joy Ma
It's been a month since we launched our post production fundraising campaign on Kickstarter. If you've been following us, we had a strong beginning and were excited to be on a trajectory to meet our goal early on. Truth be told, things tapered off in the middle and then took off again. When we met our goal last week it was simply exhilarating.
Making “Voices of Deoli” has been a transformative journey for all of us, especially me as a filmmaker. During production we met the survivors and their families, learned about them and their community, filmed memorable scenes and were amazed by what we learned. All these experiences shape the film and at the end of the day it is as much about the topic we are exploring as it is about our experiences making the film.
From the start we knew the film would help the community of Deoli Camp internees tell their story. It is a story that has been buried and unknown to generations of people, and continues to be. When the survivors would share their experiences; it was like a pinhole camera view of the emotions they carried. The memories they shared went from a vastness through a speck to a full overwhelming view, from darkness to light, then sadness to happier memories; each deep-seated like a mark etched on an image that would never dim.
From personal experience, I can say that my mother could not forget the way her experience at Deoli made her feel.
But it was the messages of encouragement we received from many of you and especially the families of the survivors who are not part of the film that helps me. Early this year I received an email from Greg whose father Joseph was taken to the internment camp when he was 26 years old. Joseph is excited to see how his story will be told through the film. This brought home to me why we are making this film. Again.
Greg Chan promoted our kickstarter campaign on his Twitter account.
Katherine, whose father had also been silent about his experience so as not to burden his children, is now supporting us by sharing the story and opening the doors to more discussion on the topic. She wrote, “I learned about the internment of my father's family as an adult as they did not share much when we were younger. So I know myself and my cousins/the younger generation are eager to see the documentary when it comes out.”
A survivor wrote to me and a group of friends, “It is historic that a girl born in this camp grew up to make a film telling the true story of the then authority cruelly victimising innocent civilians and senselessly decimating India's Chinese community during (the) 1962 period.
“It is a must see film for anyone interested in India-China affairs and (to) support it anyway possible.”
Other supporters include Mountain True who wrote about Michael Cheng, who has been one of their staunch volunteers.
MountainTrue promoted our kickstarter campaign on their Twitter account.
We are very appreciative of everyone who's been with us on this journey and who will follow us to the film’s release. We are excited to continue our work in post production and will share more about our progress. Please follow us on social media and also check back on our film website for more blogs.
Facebook: @voicesofdeoli
Twitter: @voicesofdeoli
Instagram: voices_of_deoli