Support Short-Film 'Natalina Woods'
Hello Sponsors
MARCH23 UPDATE: NATALINA WOODS Short Film
We’re not quite there yet BUT…. personal fund-raising letters go out almost daily. I am talking to several people in the dementia world as well as CareGiver groups, book clubs and movie people. Of course, I can’t stand still for very long, so I’m creating a demo for the short-film NATALINA WOODS. Hopefully, this will initiate enough interest for producers to create the full Dementialand movie. Ah, life’s connecting challenges. Although the timing has been moved a bit, my determination and energy haven’t changed....
I re-read Wonders In Dementialand last week. I simply love that book. And I love the Sundowning Gypsy chapter. If you didn’t get a chance to read it, check out the book on Amazon or Audible.com. The NATALINA WOODS short film is a bit different but still has that wonderful charm. It offers a different take on Sundowning, one of the most common effects of dementia. Sundowning is that time in the latter part of the day when confusion in reality and fantasy battle it out. In the NATALINA WOODS short film, fantasy wins.
Thank you always for your support.
Suzka.
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Hello everyone, my name is Suzka. – Some of you might remember me as the author of Wonders In Dementialand, the Dementialand podcast and its book-to-movie direction. Now, I am about to produce the first Short Film titled Natalina Woods adapted from the book Wonders In Dementialand.
UPDATE: In 2017 the American Film Market (AFM) selected Wonders In Dementialand for me to pitch in their book-to-movie forum. It was Dementialand’s first introduction to the film industry. I pitched my heart out in a room filled with 800 producers and directors. The response was overwhelming. Three producers were interested in making the book a full-featured movie. One was perfect and offered me a contract. Yay! The script’s first draft was written and a trailer was in the works. From the book to the podcast to a movie in the mix, everything Dementialand was moving forward. Then came the pandemic, Covid and the return of my cancer. Everything was canceled.
The pandemic changed my life and the filming industry. Major studios canceled plans to release big movies in theaters and put everything online. More than a year into the pandemic, streaming and short films, along with short film serials were now a major part of the future of film entertainment. This is good I thought, this is very, very good. My creativity went through the roof. I began writing short film scripts. Natalina Woods is a 20-minute short film and will be the first in the Dementialand series.
Natalina Woods is a funky comedy about memory, identity and a delight in the unknown. Natalina is a visiting gypsy woman who comes to Violet in the middle of the night. Violet, caught off guard, tells her visitor "If you’re here to rob me, you’re at the wrong house. You wanna go next door." Natalina, a premium palmist and a clairvoyant, tells Violet she will soon be crossing the border. There she will meet a handsome young man, a new lover. The script is complete, the crew is ready to start filming. We simply need $20,000.
To begin our next steps, any support would be greatly appreciated, whether that means donating to the Natalina Woods Film fundraiser or sharing this GoFundMe page. Everyone who donates, no matter the amount, will be included in the running film's thank-you credits. Be a part of my project. I simply love this precious film. We all need a story that softens life’s challenges.
When the film is complete, besides YouTube and various online streaming sites, I will be submitting the Natalina Woods Short Film to five Film Festivals: 1. The SanDiego International Film Festival; 2. Next Generation Indie Films; 3. The Cannes Indie Shorts; 4. Raindance; 5. BendFilm. (the first submission deadline is May 1, 2023)
Thank you for your support. Your partnership makes this heartwarming production possible. Let the cameras roll!
– Suzka
PS: If you just recently discovered Dementialand™, check out the Dementialand podcast on YouTube and the audiobook Wonders In Dementialand.
(Natalina Woods mug and poster available at www.suzka.myshopify.com)
