presented by Seed&Spark and The Duplass Brothers

The Hometown Heroes Rally invites filmmakers from across the country to bring diverse stories rooted in real communities to the screen. Up to 5 winners will have their narrative feature executive produced by the Duplass Brothers and receive up to $25,000 in cash for production.

The rally has closed; view all the #HometownHeroes campaigns.

Great stories happen everywhere. And great films can be made anywhere. Enter Hometown Heroes: a crowdfunding rally looking for the next generation of filmmakers making movies with local community and resources: talent, locations, production houses and partners.

To participate, launch a crowdfunding campaign on Seed&Spark for a narrative feature film in your hometown, and start building your audience. Your “hometown” can be where you’re from, or the town or city you currently call home. The 10 successfully funded campaigns with the most campaign followers (raising a minimum of $7,500 in cash) will go on as finalists to pitch The Duplass Brothers. Up to 5 campaigns may receive the grand prize, and ALL participants will receive personalized local crew concierge from Cinematcher.

Grand Prize

Win up to $25,000 and your film executive produced by the Duplass Brothers.

One grand prize winner will also receive…

A 16TB hard drive

A value of $1,000, sponsored by G-Tech

A week-long Canon 4K Cine Rental Package including: Canon EOS C300 body (EF-mount), Canon Cinema Primes, CN-E 14mm, CN-E 24mm, CN-E 35mm, CN-E 50mm, CN-E 85mm, plus accessories

A value of $10,000, sponsored by AbelCine

Go local!

In addition to the grand prize, we’ve partnered with film commissions, brands and organizations all across the country to provide local prizes covering everything from funding to marketing, which will be awarded throughout the rally based on audience support.

Find your state to check out the local prizes available.

Florida

Hawaii

Illinois

Kansas

Massachusetts

Michigan

Minnesota

Missouri

Montana

Nevada

Pennsylvania

Texas

Virginia

Washington

How to Join

1. LAUNCH CAMPAIGN

Launch a crowdfunding campaign on Seed&Spark raising at least $7,500 in cash. Campaigns can be for any phase of filmmaking, from development through post. All campaigns must run from September 12 - October 13, 2017. You must submit your campaign for review by August 25, 2017. Read more about our review process.

2. BUILD & ENGAGE YOUR AUDIENCE

To qualify, you must gather at least 500 campaign followers on Seed&Spark by October 13, 2017. Followers include all contributors, as well as anyone who clicks “follow” from your campaign page to receive your email updates.

Of the successfully funded campaigns, the 10 with the most campaign followers will move on as finalists.

You must also post 2 project updates a week during your 30-day crowdfunding campaign; at least 1 update during the campaign must contain video content original to the campaign.

3. FINALIST PITCH

Finalists will be announced on October 16. If you are a finalist, you’ll have 10 days to prepare a 30-second video pitch to The Duplass Brothers about how much of $25,000 your project should receive, and why The Duplass Brothers should executive produce your film.

official rules

Ready to launch?

Start a project

Not quite ready? Take our Crowdfunding Class.

FAQ

What types of projects are eligible?

You must be making an original narrative feature with local resources to the best of your ability. At least 75% of your people (cast and crew), resources, or locations must be local. Your hometown can either be the place you grew up, or the place in which you currently reside. All projects on Seed&Spark must make a public-facing statement about how you're increasing inclusion in entertainment.

Does the project have to be ready to go into production?

Not at all! You can run a crowdfunding campaign at any stage from development to post-production. The purpose is to start building your audience and to advance your project to the next phase.

Does 100% of production need to take place in my hometown?

No. At least 75% of your production must take place using the local talent and resources in your “hometown” - that can be where you’re from OR where you currently live (or a combination of the two). Any additional in-state resources also count as local. If you live in Los Angeles now but have always wanted to make that movie in your hometown of Nashville, now’s the time!

Is the rally US-only?

Your hometown can either be the place you grew up or the place in which you currently reside, in the US or abroad. However, you must have a US bank account to use Seed&Spark and participate in the rally.

When should I submit and launch my campaign on Seed&Spark?

You can submit anytime until August 25, 2017. Submission requires that you fully set up your campaign and click “Submit for Approval” at the end of the process. Eligible projects must launch on September 12 and crowdfund through October 13, 2017.

What happens after the crowdfunding ends?

All Hometown Heroes crowdfunding campaigns must end by October 13, 2017. The 10 projects that have successfully raised funds and have the most followers will be selected as finalists and will be required to create a short (30-second or less) pitch video to The Duplass Brothers. This video will briefly explain how you would use the prize funds, and will be posted to the campaign as an update no later than October 26, 2017 for continued qualification.

When will the finalists be announced?

The 10 finalists will be announced and notified on October 16, 2017.

When will the winners be announced?

Winners will be announced on November 1, 2017.

Are there still benefits if I don’t win?

ALL filmmakers who gather 500 or more followers are eligible for Filmmaker Rewards, worth over $9,000 in production, post, distribution and marketing perks, as well as festival fee waivers. By raising funds and gathering an audience on Seed&Spark, participants take control of their creative future, creating a path to their own sustainable filmmaking career.