Hello fellow humans!

My name is Lydia; I'm a filmmaker, artist, and founder of my young production company, Two Acre Films. I created this GoFundMe to support a dream I'm avidly working to bring into reality: attending a 2-month Film Directing program this summer in Berlin, Germany.

Attending this program will not only be an invaluable opportunity to bolster my directorial vision and skill sets, but will also connect me to an international film community, and provide an experience that will stay with me for my entire lifetime. In my youth, the story I believed about the film industry was that this career path was "difficult to break into." In my adulthood, dismantling these beliefs and giving myself the tools and experiences to bring meaningful films into this world has become my passion. Whether stories from the community or stories of my own, I aim to become a director who creates films that allow us to escape to our healing.

However, I need your support to make it happen! In all, this experience is going to cost approximately $16,000. As a young business owner in the arts, my company is not yet my full-time career, and so I ardently navigate the gig-economy world to keep my film business growing and food on my table. It's my belief that rising artists do not have to starve, so as I save what I'm able to cover my living expenses here in the US and abroad in Germany this summer, I come to this space seeking resources specifically for my travel and tuition costs (approx. $6,500).

If you can donate, please do! If you know someone who would be interested in seeing a rising (*femme-queer!) filmmaker reach their goals and turn a dream into reality, please share! From the deepest essence of my being, THANK YOU for your consideration in helping make this experience possible!

With love,

Lydia Ruth || Founder of Two Acre Films

(soon-to-be international traveler + student!)

* I added this bit about myself because representation matters! The film world is still a predominantly male-run industry; filmmaking as a whole provides a beautiful opportunity to expand and connect us all when more diverse voices are given a seat at this table. Thanks for supporting me as I strive to have a hand in shaping this world to be a more inclusive one!