MITERA - Funding for Graduation Film B.A.

The Project

This 25 minute Drama/Comedy follows a rambunctious 10 year old who is grappling with the loss of his mother. Mitera tells a story of loss and how children cope with grief, drawing to attention that children mourn differently than adults. We need your help to get this project across the finish line and aquire the final financing to create a cinema worthy short film that will be shown in festivals internationally.

English
For more detailed information in English you can download the “MITERA Pitchdeck” here 

Deutsch
Für detaillierte Informationen auf deutsch zum Projekt kannst du unsere “MITERA Projektmappe” hier herunterladen 






The Story 

Pavel, a 10-year-old, secret agent fanatic, has always wanted a dog. After his mother passes away, he flees into an imaginary world. Pavel's Grandmother, who is completely overwhelmed by the situation, can barely muster the strength to take care of her Grandchild. In this adventurous world Pavel meets Agent X, a cold and heartless killer. They quickly create a top secret plan: Break into the local animal shelter and free the dog “MITERA”. The night of the heist, they successfully sneak out of his grandmother's apartment. They disable the surveillance cameras and ‘eliminate’ the night guard and steal his keys. Finally, Pavel is able to free Mitera and escape. But just as they are exiting the animal shelter, Pavel is caught by the police.  As Pavel’s Grandmother arrives on the scene they fall into each other's arms. In his Grandmother's arms Pavel sheds the first tears, acknowledging the loss of his own mother.   Now the long process of mourning can begin. A painful but hopeful journey lies ahead of them as they drive into the sunrise.  






Production and Finances 

One of the most important parts of a film is the financing. An unglamourous and bureaucratic process, which most of us creatives don’t enjoy talking about. Thankfully, we were able to secure a large part of our calculated budget early on this year. We were able to acquire the National German Television Broadcaster BR (Bayerischer Rundfunk) to coproduce this project with us. At the end of March we were also able to apply for a film grant funded by the German government to cover the largest amount of our costs. 


The Numbers:

Filmgrant Bavaria (FFF Bayern)     
32,500.00€

BR (Coproducer)                                       
12,000.00€

Personal Investment                             
(Producer, Director) 
4,000.00€

University Funding                                   
1,500.00€

Donations         
4,000.00€                                             

Missing Budget                                         
3,000.00€


Unfortunately there is still an important financial gap that we need to cover for production hardware, lenses and additional crew.  This is where you come in! We need your help to give this project a final push for the professional touch needed to achieve a truly cinema worthy short film. This would enable the short film to be shown in festivals internationally. 






Why us? 

This Film will be the graduating work of three students studying at the university of Macromedia in Munich Germany and will be our calling card to the film industry.  It is our greatest wish to tell the story in the best possible way which requires a more ideal financial scenario. As ambitious Filmmakers we want to take you on this journey with us and will keep you posted on the newest updates and milestones of our project. If you have donated above 20$ you will also recieve an online ticket to the online screening of the film in late February 2023. We are thankful for any type of support, whether sharing or reposting the fundraiser on social media, or donating to the project - every penny counts! Thank you for your support! 






The Plan 

This short film is a one year project and will be finished by the end of February 2023. Principle photography will be starting in August and a rough cut will be done in November.  Throughout the year 2023 we are planning on taking "MITERA" on a festival tour to renown festivals in Germany, Europe and worldwide. It is our dream and goal to be able to qualify for the Student Academy Awards. In early/mid 2024 this short film will be broadcast on live television on the German Broadcasting Network “Bayerischer Rundfunk” (BR). 






About the Screenwriter/Director

At the age of 15 Dietrich Pollak was already inspired by film editing and started making movies to cut them on his home computer. After finishing school, he filmed anything he could point his camera at. Dietrich is currently studying at Macromedia University in Munich where he has created several short films throughout Germany and Estonia which are now screening in festivals throughout Europe. "MITERA" will be his graduating project with which he will be receiving a Bachelor of Arts.  



Director’s Note

Every person copes with loss differently. The process of mourning is very individual and can last for several weeks or several years. In this process of grief it is important to acknowledge pain and have a safe space in which to express heavy emotions. 

"MITERA" (Mitéra = μητέρα, greek for mother) is inspired by a close friend of mine, who lost her mother at the age of 10. At the time she also had imaginary friends that helped her cope with loss. Together, they went on countless adventures. At the time she was living with her grandmother whom she also took care of. Forced into a position of taking on adult responsibilities, she never felt as if she had a safe setting in which to express her pain. This unprocessed grief still affects her today on a psychological level. 

Her story deeply moved me and inspired the creation of "MITERA". This project is intended to show a child coming to grips with the loss of a parent, drawing attention to a very important need of every child: a safe space to express emotion.






The Team Behind the Film
We are a team of film students, alumni and professionals  from the filmindustry and are looking forward to creating a stunning audiovisual experience. 







Challenges and Risks

A large challenge facing us is that the lead actor is not of legal age. We will be upholding all regulations set by the labor administration department of Munich Germany. Myself and the producer Markus Liebl having worked on several professional projects with children and are confident in guaranteeing a safe and healthy work environment to achieve the best cinematic result.   

As the director of this project it is my responsibility and my priority to keep everyone safe during the pre production, principle photography and post production, as in accordance with the standards set by the "German Labor Union" / "Trade Association for Film and Television" (BG ETEM). This includes testing cast and crew for Covid-19 on a daily basis and maintaining safety distance and wearing an FFP2 mask indoors as well as outdoors. 

All special effects will be prepared and executed by an experienced team of industry professionals in the safest way possible. In addition, all stunts will be supervised by an experienced stunt team from Munich and rehearsed in advance. All animals on set will be cared for by professional animal trainers and will not be hurt or traumatized in the film making process. 






Kontakt

If you have any questions regarding the project or your donation, feel free to contact us here ! 


Thank you for your support!