Give Wounded Tiger a Push

I’m the author and screenwriter of "Wounded Tiger ," the true story of the pilot who led the Pearl Harbor Attack whose life was changed by an American prisoner and by a girl he never met. He came to faith, but not in a way any could have possibly imagined. I later novelized my screenplay into book form where it has since won a national Book of the Year Award, #1 bestseller status in four categories on Amazon, and one of the highest five-star ratings of any novel on Amazon. I’ve met with the president of Warner Brothers (Steve Spira) at his invitation and have received offers from four different film investment firms to FULLY fund my $125M film, ALL of whom expressed belief that the film would be hugely successful, but more on that in a minute …

What’s wrong with Hollywood? Some years ago, I remember a public outcry by community leaders and government representatives over the declining values of Hollywood. They wanted the film industry to take responsibility to affirm what’s good, right, and true and feared what could happen if they continued to promote what’s bad, wrong, and false. Encouraging people to lie, cheat, and steal would bear bad fruit. Hollywood shrugged their shoulders … When digital copies of movies on DVDs and online streaming became available, Hollywood was horrified that people were lying, cheating, and stealing their intellectual property by illegally downloading millions of dollars’ worth of movies via pirate websites. 

Since then, the Hollywood culture has only gotten worse. Studio heads and leading figures continue to be caught in morally compromising positions and/or fired for sexual abuse, and films continue to do more to tear down than to build up. Readers are begging for "Wounded Tiger" to be made into a film, but both film professionals and readers have both warned me not to let the film industry water it down in the typical way they treat many true stories. Here’s an example:

Unbroken was both a #1 bestselling book and a feature film, BUT, when it went to the studio, nearly every hint of the internal, spiritual journey of what made the story amazing was cut out, making the ending of the film rather empty (they chopped off that part), and damaging their box office numbers as well.

It’s never been my goal to change Hollywood. My goal is simply to encourage others with the truth that brings genuine hope through books and films. The most powerful thing I can do is to live a life that’s pleasing to God and is focused on loving and serving others and to do the same through stories that inspire. That’s what I’ve done, without compromise, yet this journey has become extraordinarily difficult to carry out.

The offers. Every offer I’ve received to fund and produce “Wounded Tiger” as a feature film came with the giant asterisk of handing over complete creative control for them to add, delete, or rewrite anything and everything in this highly-researched, true story – something that will remain a deal breaker for me. One of the offers came from a group that funded an Oscar-winning film. The movie won awards, but it also affirmed terrible lifestyle decision making.

My situation – What happened. Because I’ve turned down these lucrative offers from those who wanted to commandeer the project (as I continue to seek those who want to protect the project), my income is limited. This has resulted in my inability to complete the last payment for the printing of my books.

This GoFundMe, started last week, has already shown great promise toward reaching $15k. MANY THANKS TO EACH OF YOU WHO HAVE HELPED!!! I’m considering any and all contributions to be LOANS to be repaid upon receipt of the first round ($2 million) of investment capital . Any additional funds beyond the $15K will go towards the development of an international marketing campaign for the book and development of the film.

If you believe in this kind of story and cinematic excellence without compromise and want to see this project go forward, please consider lending a hand and giving a generous financial PUSH. Please also consider sharing this page on social media with your comments. Help me do what so many are asking to be done – produce an epic, inspiring, encouraging story that you can watch more than once and feel great about every time! (If you don't know the story, read these reviews to see what readers have to say).

What's going on with the movie? I'm EXTREMELY committed to getting the film done (and done RIGHT) and am CURRENTLY in talks with with contacts to potential investors. There are millionaires and billionaires looking at this project right now. This two-minute test trailer for "Wounded Tiger" made from existing film clips will give you a good idea of the story and how it might feel on the big screen. Make it BIG and LOUD: Wounded Tiger test movie trailer 

What's the long-term goal and how are you planning on getting there? The long-term goal is to first get the book to the top of the charts in the USA and Japan, to get it released in as many other languages as possible, and to complete and release this epic film worldwide with the highest production standards possible.

Two film professionals (on separate occasions) each told me to set aside seeking development funds for the film and to focus exclusively on getting the book to the top of the charts because THAT'S when the major investors would join in. So, I've put together an international marketing plan to raise funds to send "Wounded Tiger" to the top of the charts in the US and in Japan. Please feel free to contact me via this GoFundMe page or download the One Sheet here .

In Conclusion, I thank each of you from my heart and will seek to earnestly pass on to others the love, compassion, and help I've received from each of you.

Sincerely,

T. Martin Bennett

Wounded Tiger the book: You can order a copy in English directly from me here (preferred) or on Amazon (USA) here , and, if you live in Japan, in Japanese here on Amazon (Japan).