Watch the video above: Toronto Filmmaker Crowd-funding to Help Break Barriers. Jennifer Palisoc reports.
TORONTO – Toronto director Kire Paputts wants more roles for actors with special needs and is forging ahead with an ambitious project to bring awareness to the cause by launching a Kickstarter campaign to fund his new feature film.
“If someone has Down syndrome, you’re not going to see them in a role that’s not written for someone with Down syndrome,” Paputts told Global News.
“Writers aren’t writing any parts for them. There are no roles out there to even audition for.”
Paputts wants to portray actors with special needs outside the more conventional depictions in the film and television industry.
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“We want to basically push some boundaries. Break down some barriers in regards to the more general perception out there.”
That’s exactly what Paputts did with the release of his 2012 short film Rainbow Connection.
The 17-minute narrative was a coming of age story about a teenage boy with Down syndrome and his fascination with rainbows.
The film hired actors with special needs and the new full-length film, Rainbow Kid, follows the same premise.
“It’s a bit of a more gritty kind of darker film, so I don’t think people were expecting to see that when they heard it was a film staring an actor with special needs,” Paputts said.
So far, just over $30,000 of the $200,000 goal have been raised on the popular crowdfunding website for the new project.
Paputts plans to use the money for production and post-production costs such as paying actors/crew, props, location rentals and publicity.
The young filmmaker had similar success raising money online for his short film on Indiegogo in 2012.
Paputts hopes the reception will be just as good this time around.
“When people here something about a film starring an actor with special needs, I think they have a certain idea in their head and we kind of want to take that idea and flip it on its head.”
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