Looking for Leia, an upcoming Star Wars fangirl documentary, has reached the $25,000 goal of the film’s Kickstarter campaign. With 358 backers, the goal was reached this morning with another 38 hours to go.
“I love seeing how much conversation we’re having about issues of access and representation in media, and Looking for Leia is definitely a part of that conversation,” says Annalise Ophelian, Psy.D., producer and director of Looking for Leia. “This is a film made by a woman and a film that centers the experiences of girls and women, and none of this can happen without also being fully intersectional in our discussion of women’s experiences. And it’s a way of showcasing female Star Wars fans, but also looking at Star Wars fandom through another set of perspectives. And of course, projects like this aren’t being funded by major studios right now, this is a classically micro-budget independent project and we’re so grateful for the enthusiasm and generosity of folks who gave to our Kickstarter campaign. That campaign represents 1/5th of our budget, so we’re hoping not to lose momentum between now and when it ends Friday night. But we love hearing from our social media followers and women who contact us through the site that this story resonates, that it’s important and what’s wanted and needed right now.”
The film is described as a documentary about the girls and women of Star Wars fandom. A brief description from the Kickstarter campaign:
LOOKING FOR LEIA is a feature documentary film that explores the phenomenon of Star Wars “fangirls,” women and girls who connect deeply to the galaxy far, far away and are unique in the stereotypically male Nerd arena. The film reaches beyond Princess Leia to look at how female fans have shaped and expanded the Star Wars Universe, and how these stories speak to experiences of gender resilience and resistance.
Directed by Annalise Ophelian, production started this past March with an expected cost of $125,000. The Kickstarter campaign will help pay for the the licensing fees or cost of travel, not to mention the crew and post-production costs.
