MARCELLA SELBACH
INDIE FILM ENTHUSIAST

(Headshot of me by Miles Maker)

Very often I was asked why I am so drawn to Indie films and the artists behind them. Let me explain all about my passion.

It started almost two years ago when I met actor, producer and writer Gregor Collins on Facebook . We had a lot of nice conversations and he told me about his role in a feature called Goodbye Promise, which sounded very interesting and attracted my attention.

Since my parents have been actors on stage before they decided to have a family and children, movies & theater had always been a part of my life. Maybe I have this passion in my genes, because there has always been this fascination for film even in my childhood.

When Gregor told me one day that director David Branin, together with Karen Worden, wanted to start a Kickstarter campaign for Goodbye Promise to finance the post production of this film, I was taken with this idea without actually knowing what Kickstarter was. I had never heard about crowdfunding and platforms like Kickstarter or IndieGoGo before.

Well that night I didn't sleep very well, I was far too excited and got up very early to find out everything I could about this crowdfunding stuff. Learning more & more about it, I liked it. It was the perfect chance for filmmakers to finance their work and involve interested people around the globe in their projects. Fabulous, I thought!

I immediately registered on the Kickstarter platform and became a backer of Goodbye Promise. What a cool feeling this was, I was so proud being a tiny part of a feature-length film and I started spreading the word. I told family and friends about this cool project and posted it on Twitter and Facebook. I think already at that point I was 'lost.'

The best is that you get a reward, a perk depending on how much you donate. And there was this famous handmade apple pie that David Branin offered. Yummy! But at that time I didn't think of how to get it. What mattered more to me was the fact, that I wanted them to reach their goal and I wanted to support them.

I remember that 48 hours before the end of the campaign, Goodbye Promise was only half funded and they all planned a sleep strike at that time, which I found unbelievable. It was exciting like a thriller, and David and Karen and the team actually reached their goal in the last few hours. Then followed other spectacular campaigns like Lucas McNelly's A Year Without Rent and more recently Joke & Biagio's Dying To Do Letterman.

This amazing experience made me want more! Friends on Facebook and Twitter often recommended new crowdfunding campaigns, so it started to become an addiction for me. I got in contact with a lot of filmmakers like John Trigonis, David P. Baker, John Paul Rice, Gary King, Miles Maker and many more who introduced me to their film projects. Some of them I was more drawn to, others a little less but since then I've backed 31 projects on Kickstarter and funded 14 on IndieGoGo. It's my passion and I'm dedicated to it. I just can't help it!

It was last year in the summertime that I decided it was time for me to go to Los Angeles to meet some of these talented filmmakers and actors in person. Plus, I wanted to get my perk, a David Branin homemade apple pie!

(The apple pie)

When David and Karen heard about my trip to LA, they invited me to be on their famous LA Talk Radio show Film Courage which airs weekly every Sunday. I was their first international guest and it was an absolute honor to be on the show and get behind the scenes. My friend Gregor Collins was invited, too and I also met with filmmaker Phil Calderone who took a lot of wonderful photos that day.

(Me & Gregor Collins)

That trip to LA was like a fairy tale, I met John Paul Rice & Edgar Michael Bravo, producer/director of One Hour Fantasy Girl and their new feature Mother's Red Dress, also actor and filmmaker Brian Durkin and I was at a screening of Person Of Interest by Gregory Bayne. My friend Phil Calderone did some nice interviews and a little promotion video for a film project with me. In short, the way they all spoiled me was overwhelming. These people are amazing and the dedication and passion they have for their work is impressive. It shows again how important and useful it is to support them with their film projects and spread the word. They're all fantastic artists, all very ambitious and talented.

(Me with Phil Calderone presenting his DVD)

And that first trip wasn't my last trip to LA. Two more followed, during which time I met more wonderful people from my indie film community. Learning more and more about their work and the film industry in general, I gain experiences and a fascination that won't stop.

I just came back from LA which was definitely the most thrilling visit yet! Filmmaker Brain Crewe and lovely actress / writer Marion Kerr gave me the opportunity to be on their film set for a night shoot.

(Me on set of #FarShort)

I hope after reading this that you, too, gain a small impression now as to WHY I'm so drawn to independent films and the artists behind them. It's probably the perfect package, a combination of many components and elements, but it's mostly stories that demand attention as a film, the fantastic actors in front of the camera, the talented filmmakers behind them and the innovative ways of financing them. But above all, what inspires me most is their passion and ambition to get their films done.

Independent films, the artists behind them and ME, a lifelong LOVE!

 
BIO:

After finishing high school, Marcella went to college to study sports and art. During her studies, she lived in Paris and Cannes for a few months and worked at a theater.

After passing her exam, jobs at school were rare, so she started working at JVC's German office and also gave lessons in German to some of the company's managers and their families.

Marcella currently works at an elementary school with children between the ages of six and ten and is also very active promoting the work of Indie filmmakers.

For more information about Marcella, you can go to her homepage at www.movieangel.net.