Daniel Klein and Mirra Fine have spent almost 10 years telling the stories of the people behind the food that ends up on plates around the world.
Now they want to make it even more personal. They want to bring us to the table – and the films to Facebook.
The Twin Cities filmmakers behind the online production of "The Perennial Plate" plan to create five short films about different immigrant families at the dinner table. Each film will revolve around a family meal, with extended members cooking and eating together.
"That's something we all have in common," said Klein, from Mexico City, where the "Perennial" crew has landed for six weeks of film work.
Their new project begins with a Kickstarter call for $50,000 in sponsorship, half for the production and the remainder for its promotion via Facebook.
Klein and Fine, who have produced more than 160 films and won two James Beard awards for their work, envision this latest project as a way to broaden the conversation about immigrants and refugees.
"We are trying to share the experience we know from our travels, to diffuse tensions and build acceptance for immigrants," said Klein.
The filmmakers chose the method of Kickstarter not only because of the immediacy of this type of fundraising, but also because of the topical nature of the subject.
They have been experimenting with Facebook advertising as a way to reach out to different audiences. This new project takes it a step further, as they target specific viewers for the short films.
"This has been done before by political campaigns. It's cool to introduce a different style of story in a Facebook feed," said Klein.
The filmmakers plan to create two versions of each film, a short one for Facebook and a longer version for film festivals.
Find the fundraiser at http://tinyurl.com/l7v9mmv (listed under "Resistance Through Storytelling for The Perennial Plate"). The Kickstarter continues until mid-morning April 27.
