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Hi, my name is Kristal, and I’m the director and producer of the documentary Above The Fear. This film follows a queer Ugandan swim team and its co-founders and activists, Clare and Didi, who live under constant death threats in a country that criminalizes and condemns LGBTQIA+ people and those who support them. I met and filmed with them in 2019 during NYC World Pride & 50th Stonewall Anniversary and started documenting their journey for equality. Their story resonated with me as a Queer Black woman. I understood their fight for visibility, and it's my goal for you to understand their struggle for equality and justice for all LGBTQIA in Ugandan and globally.
They are building community through sport in a place where being openly queer can cost you your life. Above The Fear documents their courage, their resistance, and their fight to exist.
I’m making this film because the United States is beginning to mirror the same dangerous laws and rhetoric used to justify violence in Uganda. This project is not just about telling a story — it’s about protecting people. By making this film, I aim to support Ugandan queer activists like Clare and Didi on the ground through both direct financial assistance and global solidarity, using sport as a bridge to challenge colonial-era laws and anti-LGBTQIA+ policy.
I am raising $85,000 to cover additional filming, post-production labor, and marketing so this story can reach international audiences.
Filming $10k
Post Production $50k (Editor, Archival Producer, Archival footage, Hard drives, Composer)
Marketing $25k (TRAILERS & SOCIAL ASSETS,PAID SOCIAL ADS,PRESS & PR PUSH,COMMUNITY SCREENINGS & PARTNERSHIPS,MERCH & DONOR INCENTIVES and WEBSITE + EMAIL LIST)
The stakes are real. This film unlocks:
• Grant funding
• NGO partnerships
• Emergency funds
• Legal aid networks
• Asylum advocacy
Screenings of Above The Fear will become fundraisers, policy conversations, and aid pipelines. This is not just awareness — it is infrastructure-building. International visibility puts pressure on the Ugandan government, gives local activists leverage, and makes violence harder to hide.
If you believe queer lives deserve protection, please donate and share Above The Fear today. Your support helps turn visibility into safety, and storytelling into action. Check out what we've filmed so far.
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