Mariachi film Kickstarter succeeds
This time we made it!
After being $7,000 away from the $15,000 goal less than 10 hours before Friday’s 7:30 p.m. deadline, Tucson stepped up and made up the difference to put the Mariachis Transform Tucson Kickstarter campaign over the goal post.
Kickstarter is an all or nothing crowd funding technique, meaning that if you haven’t reached the financial goal you set before the deadline, you receive none of the money pledged, and no one is charged.
But Tucson clearly saw something it liked in this project which provides seed money for early filming, applying for foundation support, transcription support and more.
In addition, Pima Country provided another $4,000 to support the hiring of paid interns for the film from the University of Arizona journalism department and Tucson high schools.
“I would like to express my gratitude to all of the donors and to Tucson in general for its support of the project,” said documentary producer/director Daniel Buckley. “This is a huge first step when combined with the $5,000 received from the Tucson Pima Arts Council’s PLACE Initiative Grant Program.”
Emma and Leo Carrillo in 2004
A sense of urgency was felt during the fundraising campaign with the unexpected death of Leo Carrillo. Mr. Carrillo was the father of Mariachi Cobre Members Randy and Steve Carrillo, and a man who supported their mariachi dreams from the time they were small kids in Tucson’s pioneering youth mariachi, Los Changuitos Feos. Mr. Carrillo’s passing sparked the immediate targeting of older members of the mariachi community for interviews in conjunction with the film.
Even before funding came in Buckley has been interviewing mariachis, parents and students of multiple generations since October of 2012, along with numerous mariachi and folklórico dance events. Plans are to continue filming for another 12 months before taking another six months to edit years of interviews and performances into the final film, which will show how mariachi and folklórico programs have shaped Tucson’s educational, financial, political and cultural landscape.