Las crisis del agua (The Crises of Water)
Grand Rapids, Michigan | Film Short
Thriller, Foreign Film
A man rebels against the totalitarian regime of his territory to help a lost teenager get home. The Crises of Water speaks volumes about the heartrending struggle for freedom of the Venezuelan people. It does so in a story of bravery, rebellion, civil disobedience and the search of family belonging.
Las crisis del agua (The Crises of Water)
Grand Rapids, Michigan | Film Short
Thriller, Foreign Film
2 Campaigns | Michigan, United States
Green Light
This campaign raised $1,770 for production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
28 supporters | followers
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A man rebels against the totalitarian regime of his territory to help a lost teenager get home. The Crises of Water speaks volumes about the heartrending struggle for freedom of the Venezuelan people. It does so in a story of bravery, rebellion, civil disobedience and the search of family belonging.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
T H E S T O R Y
Las crisis del agua (The Crises of Water) is a fictional story set in a dystopian future, where a succession of water crises and an endless winter have provoked a sociopolitical conflict that forced people to group themselves in separate territories. The guerrilla that induced the conflict rules over a concentration-camp-like territory called The Revolutionary Territory, where people who previously put their trust in the Revolution live in misery, hunger and thirst.
Here is the biggest problem: they are hostages to the Revolution, and whoever tries to escape will be considered a traitor to the homeland, and will be prosecuted and shot. Manuela Alba de Puebla is the ruler of the Revolutionary Territory.
One day, Portero, a 35-year-old Venezuelan living in The Revolutionary Territory, finds a lost 14-year-old boy among the crowd and gains a new determination to escape with him from the Revolutionary Territory, no matter the cost. Without knowing it, his bravery encourages others to do the same, which sparks a mutiny against the Revolutionary Territory.
B E H I N D T H E S T O R Y
The short film, The Crises of Water, is an analogy of the sociopolitical crisis of Venezuela. What inspires the story is Venezuela's people in their struggle for freedom, but also the minds oppressed by the hopelessness of communism. Themes of bravery, rebellion, civil disobedience and the search of family belonging are at the core of The Crises of Water.
The audience of this film is the Venezuelan people and the international community that has supported them in their struggle.
A Venezuelan immigrant can relate to what being a lost child feels like, since many young people have left their families behind and migrated to other countries to put bread on their families' tables. Therefore, the character Benoni represents the feeling of being lost, oppressed, and hopeless as a consequence of a man-made crisis.
*This frame from another of David Astudillo's shorts is an example of the mood and tone that The Crises of Water will have in terms of cinematography.
C H A R A C T E R S
Portero:
He is a Venezuelan living in the Revolutionary Territory. Portero is prone to non-conformity with his current situation. Meeting Benoni sparks in him a new determination to escape from the Revolutionary Territory. He is brave, decided, and considerate towards others; a trait that makes him stand out from the rest of the people in his territory. Portero represents the things that Venezuelan people should strive for as they overcome the intellectual oppression of communism: Hope, selflessness, unity, perseverance, and bravery.
Cast: Israel Balza.
Benoni:
Benoni is a teenager that escaped from home and now is trapped in the Revolutionary Territory. He has given up and has bitterly come to terms with his situation: he is alone and he can never get out of the Revolutionary Territory. Benoni is full of cynicism, mistrust, fear, bitterness, and dissappointment. Benoni represents the mentality of hopelessness that results from the mediatic and social oppression of a communist regime.
Cast: Ansel Carpenter.
Manuela Alba de Puebla:
Manuela is the head of the Revolution. You can find her dining, drinking, dancing and enjoying a life of luxury, while the people of her territory live with little food and water, oppressed under her regime. Manuela Alba de Puebla represents the hypocrisy of the Venezuelan socialist regime.
Cast: Naudy Brinceño
T I M E L I N E
PRE-PRODUCTION:
JANUARY 6 to MARCH 20
During this time, apart from rehearsing with the actors to get their best performance, we are also collecting the props and securing the locations.
For example, this is the location style that we hope to use for the refuge of the Revolutionary Territory:
PRODUCTION:
WEEK OF MARCH 22
What is involved in the production is rather large for a short film. We will have an extensive cast of around 25 actors, though they are not all called for the same day. We will have catering during the production to make sure everyone is full of energy and well taken care of.
POST-PRODUCTION:
APRIL 1 to 20
We hope to dive into the post-production process and completely transform the film with sound design, color correction, and minimal special effects where needed. We are looking forward to completing the project by APRIL 20, for its subsequent premiere.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Payroll
Costs $600
This film features an extensive cast including professional actors.
Wardrobe
Costs $200
The world of the story requires transforming interior spaces and the cast's wardrobe.
Catering
Costs $600
We are making sure the large cast and crew is well taken care of during the days of production.
Set Design
Costs $300
We want to make sure the sets are transformed to match the unique and dystopian world of the story.
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
The team is formed by professionals based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and seniors and alumni from the film program at Grand Valley State University.
The writer and director David Astudillo, spent his childhood in Guarenas, a city near Caracas, Venezuela. When he arrived in the United Sates in 2015 he became an independent filmmaker. He is now a senior in the film program at Grand Valley State University. As his country goes through the worst economic crisis in its history, he is relentless in pursuing film and taking deeply-touching stories to the screen. David has traveled to England, Nigeria, Cuba, Colombia, and Bolivia doing documentary work for non-profits in diverse and challenging places. After writing and directing several award-winning short films, David has finally found the opportunity to explore his latino cinematic identity to tell the one story that has touched him the most: the condition of millions of Venezuelans living under a communist dictatorship. Thus, he decided to put everything he has into his second foreing-language short Las crisis del agua (The Crises of Water).
David and the rest of the team share a passion for cinema, but also for the struggle of the Venezuelan people. We want this film to provide hope for those who have emigrated and those who are still living in the country.
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
T H E S T O R Y
Las crisis del agua (The Crises of Water) is a fictional story set in a dystopian future, where a succession of water crises and an endless winter have provoked a sociopolitical conflict that forced people to group themselves in separate territories. The guerrilla that induced the conflict rules over a concentration-camp-like territory called The Revolutionary Territory, where people who previously put their trust in the Revolution live in misery, hunger and thirst.
Here is the biggest problem: they are hostages to the Revolution, and whoever tries to escape will be considered a traitor to the homeland, and will be prosecuted and shot. Manuela Alba de Puebla is the ruler of the Revolutionary Territory.
One day, Portero, a 35-year-old Venezuelan living in The Revolutionary Territory, finds a lost 14-year-old boy among the crowd and gains a new determination to escape with him from the Revolutionary Territory, no matter the cost. Without knowing it, his bravery encourages others to do the same, which sparks a mutiny against the Revolutionary Territory.
B E H I N D T H E S T O R Y
The short film, The Crises of Water, is an analogy of the sociopolitical crisis of Venezuela. What inspires the story is Venezuela's people in their struggle for freedom, but also the minds oppressed by the hopelessness of communism. Themes of bravery, rebellion, civil disobedience and the search of family belonging are at the core of The Crises of Water.
The audience of this film is the Venezuelan people and the international community that has supported them in their struggle.
A Venezuelan immigrant can relate to what being a lost child feels like, since many young people have left their families behind and migrated to other countries to put bread on their families' tables. Therefore, the character Benoni represents the feeling of being lost, oppressed, and hopeless as a consequence of a man-made crisis.
*This frame from another of David Astudillo's shorts is an example of the mood and tone that The Crises of Water will have in terms of cinematography.
C H A R A C T E R S
Portero:
He is a Venezuelan living in the Revolutionary Territory. Portero is prone to non-conformity with his current situation. Meeting Benoni sparks in him a new determination to escape from the Revolutionary Territory. He is brave, decided, and considerate towards others; a trait that makes him stand out from the rest of the people in his territory. Portero represents the things that Venezuelan people should strive for as they overcome the intellectual oppression of communism: Hope, selflessness, unity, perseverance, and bravery.
Cast: Israel Balza.
Benoni:
Benoni is a teenager that escaped from home and now is trapped in the Revolutionary Territory. He has given up and has bitterly come to terms with his situation: he is alone and he can never get out of the Revolutionary Territory. Benoni is full of cynicism, mistrust, fear, bitterness, and dissappointment. Benoni represents the mentality of hopelessness that results from the mediatic and social oppression of a communist regime.
Cast: Ansel Carpenter.
Manuela Alba de Puebla:
Manuela is the head of the Revolution. You can find her dining, drinking, dancing and enjoying a life of luxury, while the people of her territory live with little food and water, oppressed under her regime. Manuela Alba de Puebla represents the hypocrisy of the Venezuelan socialist regime.
Cast: Naudy Brinceño
T I M E L I N E
PRE-PRODUCTION:
JANUARY 6 to MARCH 20
During this time, apart from rehearsing with the actors to get their best performance, we are also collecting the props and securing the locations.
For example, this is the location style that we hope to use for the refuge of the Revolutionary Territory:
PRODUCTION:
WEEK OF MARCH 22
What is involved in the production is rather large for a short film. We will have an extensive cast of around 25 actors, though they are not all called for the same day. We will have catering during the production to make sure everyone is full of energy and well taken care of.
POST-PRODUCTION:
APRIL 1 to 20
We hope to dive into the post-production process and completely transform the film with sound design, color correction, and minimal special effects where needed. We are looking forward to completing the project by APRIL 20, for its subsequent premiere.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Payroll
Costs $600
This film features an extensive cast including professional actors.
Wardrobe
Costs $200
The world of the story requires transforming interior spaces and the cast's wardrobe.
Catering
Costs $600
We are making sure the large cast and crew is well taken care of during the days of production.
Set Design
Costs $300
We want to make sure the sets are transformed to match the unique and dystopian world of the story.
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
The team is formed by professionals based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and seniors and alumni from the film program at Grand Valley State University.
The writer and director David Astudillo, spent his childhood in Guarenas, a city near Caracas, Venezuela. When he arrived in the United Sates in 2015 he became an independent filmmaker. He is now a senior in the film program at Grand Valley State University. As his country goes through the worst economic crisis in its history, he is relentless in pursuing film and taking deeply-touching stories to the screen. David has traveled to England, Nigeria, Cuba, Colombia, and Bolivia doing documentary work for non-profits in diverse and challenging places. After writing and directing several award-winning short films, David has finally found the opportunity to explore his latino cinematic identity to tell the one story that has touched him the most: the condition of millions of Venezuelans living under a communist dictatorship. Thus, he decided to put everything he has into his second foreing-language short Las crisis del agua (The Crises of Water).
David and the rest of the team share a passion for cinema, but also for the struggle of the Venezuelan people. We want this film to provide hope for those who have emigrated and those who are still living in the country.