Dear Bay Area Community and Team @thirstythefilm ,

On June 19th, our beloved set photographer, DeAndre Forks, was doing what he does best: documenting street life in the Bay. He was at the Lake Merritt Juneteenth celebration in Oakland, capturing all walks of life when he decided to end the day with a bird's eye angle of the event. He climbed up on a street light to get this last shot and accidentally fell, breaking both his femur and wrist when he landed on the concrete. As evening fell, the vibe of the event had started to shift. DeAndre crawled to the nearest wall and called for help. Completely immobile and waiting for the ambulance to arrive, DeAndre witnessed small fights and sideshows stirring up the crowd. Suddenly, a single shot was fired in the air. This kicked off fear and panic in the crowd as well as gun fights in every direction. Meanwhile, DeAndre was still on the ground, afraid for his life but unable to maneuver. Here is a related video where you can see DeAndre (starting at 00:27) stuck in an extremely dangerous area. Luckily, DeAndre did not get shot and escaped the situation with his life intact but he definitely needs community support as he gets back on his feet - literally.

I recently hung out with DeAndre and while he is in good spirits and feeling blessed to be alive, he is only able to move around with the help of a walker. He has heavy casts on both his left arm and left leg which will stay with him for another 5-6 months as he heals. He is also now a photographer with no working camera (it was broken during the melee) and no means of income. So DeAndre is definitely in need of community support as he recovers. I'm hoping to raise 13K to help out this amazing artist during his time of need.

I also want to share that DeAndre is straight up one of the best photographers I've ever had the honor to collaborate with. See his stunning work for yourself here. His unforgettable images sear into your mind and move you with their precision and emotional depth. His eye for lighting and composition are also exquisite. I loved having DeAndre on the set of my feature film Thirsty and could always count on him for his calming, positive energy. The stills he took for the production are gorgeous and you can see a lot of them on the film's instagram page. DeAndre is also a pro at event photography and took the most beautiful pictures of my daughter's Bat Mitzvah. So I have deep admiration for this man and I hope that those who know DeAndre, either as a person or as an artist, will happily join me in this effort to lend a hand.

The 13K will assist him with the following expenses for the next 5-6 months and also help him purchase a new camera. Here's a related breakdown:

Monthly rent - $1900

Monthly internet, phone & PG&E bills - $200

Monthly Food expenses - $200

New Camera Cost - 2k (approximately, DeAndre is still researching this)

Thank you Bay Area community and Team @thirstythefilm. Let's take care of our local artists and make sure this talented, wounded soldier feels our love!

Thank you,

Em