Post-prod for MIDDLEGROUND: a doc about disability

Hi! My name is Alex Herz and I'm a filmmaker based in LA.

My previous work includes my debut feature film A NORMAL LIFE (now on Apple TV+ ), my short documentary JORMUNDUR (WINNER Best Icelandic Short, RIFF 2018), and WILD COMBINATION (SXSW 2020).

I'm setting up this fundraiser to raise funds for post production for my latest project, a short documentary called MIDDLEGROUND.

MIDDLEGROUND explores the intricacies of California's disability support system through the lens of individual experience. It follows four young adults with developmental disabilities — Griffin, Thomas, Alana, and Sean — who are weeks away from moving into their new apartments and starting their independent lives. However, due to a gap in scheduling, their upcoming internship program, “Project SEARCH,” is set to begin two weeks before their new leases start, requiring them to live together in a group home supervised by Griffin's mother, Karen. The film documents their collective experiences during this time, following Karen and the group as they settle into living together, as well as begin the first few weeks of their new internship. In capturing this unique interim period, MIDDLEGROUND sheds light on the complications of disability support in the U.S., and how people of all abilities and socioeconomic backgrounds inevitably face gaps within the system at large.

I shot Middleground at the end of last summer in Fresno and have been editing it over the course of this past year. The project has been very well received, and has attracted industry vets including producer Doug Blush, known for Oscar-winning projects including Period End of Sentence and 30 Feet from Stardom, as well as composer Zach Robinson, an Emmy-award winner and composer for Netflix's Cobra Kai.

Currently, I’m in the final stages of the post production process. While I've been able to do everything myself so far, I do need some additional budget to hire a colorist and a sound mixer. I am asking for $3500 to complete this process.

As a filmmaker, I feel it is crucial to tell stories about the underrepresented voices and the disability community. With your help, I hope to be able to get this film in the best shape possible so that it can make a big impact.

Thank you very much for your donation!