Make a difference!
Fictionville Studio started this project two years ago because we wanted to impact the lives of girls of Omid-e-Mehr Center. Here's your chance to help out too.

ABOUT THE FILM

The fringes of Iranian society can be a lonely place, especially if you are a teenage girl with few resources to fall back on. Finding Home follows four girls striving to pull themselves out of the margins by attending a one-of-kind rehabilitation center in uptown Tehran. Forget about the Iran that youíve seen before. With a virtually invisible camera, the girls of Finding Home take us on a never-before-seen tour of the underclass of Iran with their brave and defiant stories: Samira struggles to overcome forced drug addition; Mitra harnesses abandonment into her creative writing; Sussan teeters on a dangerous ledge after years of sexual abuse; and Nazila burgeons out of her hatred with her blazing rap music. This groundbreaking documentary reflects a side of Iran few have access to or paid attention to: a society lost to its traditions with nothing meaningful to replace them and a group of courageous women working to instill a sense of empowerment and hope into the minds and lives of otherwise discarded teenage girls.

View the teaser

Directed by Hamid Rahmanian; Produced by Melissa Hibbard
92 minutes, ©2008. Completion date: September 1, 2008

We need your help to finish this film!
Become a part of the new trend in independent filmmaking and get personally involved! Funding resources are scarce and it's getting more and more difficult for filmmakers to bring high quality content that doesn't bend to conventional notions of the news to a wide audience.

We are only months away from the first screening and need $30,000 to get this film out the door.† It seems like a lot of money but if everyone puts in something we can meet this goal in a matter of weeks!

Forget about current politics! Finding Home bypasses the rhetoric and brings the audience smack in the middle of real life for girls living in the fringes.† It tells the courageous stories of girls struggling to better their lives and shows how a group of strong-willed, dedicated social workers, psychologists and caregivers are facilitating that struggle.† Itís a story that needs to be told.

Tell you friends about this campaign and MAKE A DONATION TODAY

Contributions of all sizes are appreciated

Your name and information will be stored in our donor's email list. We'll keep you updated on how the film is doing and where it's showing.

• Finding Home Fan - Contributions of $100 or more
  • The extras-packed dvd, signed by the girls and director
  • Your name in the credits*
• Finding Home Friend - Contributions of $500 or more
  • 2 tickets to the theatrical screening of your choice
  • The extras-packed dvd
  • Your name in the credits*
• Finding Home Supporter - Contribute $1,000 or more
  • A Pass to the screening and parties of the festival of your choice
  • 2 tickets to the theatrical screening of your choice
  • The extras-packed dvd
  • Your name in the credits*

If you would like to get involved in a more substantive way please contact me directly at melissa@fictionvillestudio.com

*Film credit possible only if you contribute before May 20, 2008

GET INVOLVED IN FINDING HOME

What will the funds be used for?
The funds raised during this campaign will be used to complete the post production of the film including: original music score, sound edit and mix, color correction and upgrade to high definition.

How will this film impact the girls of Omid?
Already we have commitments from an American television network to insure national coverage.  Aside from prestigious festival and theatrical screenings and international television broadcasts here's what you will be contributing to:

• A percentage of the profits from DVD sales will go directly to the center and into a fund for the girls in the film to help insure that they have the support to maintain their independence and self-sufficiency.
• This film will be used by the Omid-e-Mehr Center for fundraising purposes for the center
• We are commissioning articles to be written about the issues addressed in the film by some of the most important activists in Iran
• The dvd will be subtitled into other languages including French, German, Arabic, and Spanish to reach a wider audience.
• Podcasts of conferences, interviews and Q&As will be made available online
• We're pairing up with international organizations involved in women's rights and empowerment as part of the outreach of this film.

For more information visit www.fictionvillestudio.com

About Omid: The Omid-e-Mehr was established in 2004 in Iran to strengthen the social, emotional, and economic competencies of disadvantaged young women (aged from 15 to 25), and provide them with a sense of self-worth and with the opportunities to experience a full range of life options through self-empowerment, education and training. Omid's clients have typically either been put into care from an early age, or run away from abusive homes, or live in extreme poverty. They often suffer from severe mental health and emotional difficulties, mostly stemming from their experiences of neglect, physical and sexual abuse, and exposure to drugs and violence. Despite their past difficulties, and the obstacles still facing them, Omidís young clients have dreams. They yearn to participate in life, and to make meaningful contributions to the world around them. Omidís holistic approach provides these young clients with the opportunities to realize such dreams. They are offered the tools, structure and support to help them succeed. And, above all, we offer them the chance to be heard. The cornerstones of this approach are self-empowerment, education and training, supplemented by effective work placement, counseling and assistance.

If you would like more information about Omid or learn how to get involved, visit www.omid-e-mehr.org

... Payvand News - 05/06/08 ...