Periodically we feature a Kickstarter that is either closing in on or already in its home stretch, requiring a bit of a bump to finally get over the hill. But, every now and then, its nice to see the spirit of independent filmmaking overwhelmingly supported by people who appreciate the passion it takes to create a film with literally nothing but a vision (and maybe a few volunteers).

Below are a few of those projects, some featuring directors of fluke-successful films and others brand new faces with unique ideas that sparked intrigue with contributors. Be sure to keep an eye out for these films while they are produced and when they are eventually released to the public (some, even, for free).

One Per Person is a quirky, fun, and light-hearted 7-minute animated short film that follows Chuck and Nancy, two fast-food employees that compete for customers by handing out free chicken samples. Wearing tacky uniforms and dealing with the gamut of annoying customers, their vastly different styles of salesmanship results in an amusing duel and an unexpected story of self-discovery. The film is a fresh take on that disappointing first job that many of us had to endure and a unique look at how appreciating the little things in life and staying positive can turn a dead-end situation into a new lease on life.

With “I, Party Cup” filmmaker John Pavlus (Slate, NPR, Wired, The New York Times) joins Grist in exploring the genealogy of the Red Solo Cup. Through interviews, investigation, and riveting head-to-head beer pong footage, he will fill in some of the family tree behind casual America’s chalice of choice — and take a glimpse forward at what happens to this goblet, and to us, when we throw it out.

From its inception in 2001 in a college dorm basement, the oft-quoted and genre-inspiring The Gamers went on to become a viral online hit in the years before YouTube and is used to this day by role-playing gamers to show why they love gaming. Still beloved after over a decade, The Gamers is considered required viewing in RPG circles worldwide. Its sequel, The Gamers: Dorkness Rising, is a feature film released in 2008 that exploded over Netflix and Amazon. It expanded the world of The Gamers, took an in-depth look at the lives and loves of gamers away from the table, and forever answered that age-old question: who would win in a fight, pirates or ninjas*? Since 2008, Gamers fans has been clamoring for another installment in the series.

This entry was posted on Monday, October 22nd, 2012 at 5:40 pm and is filed under Featured. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.