Is this the end of Madness the movie? It could be.

​Last week we shared with you the amazing news that our film "That Way Madness Lies…" was accepted into the Maryland International Film festival. This was exciting because it was the first festival acceptance, and a wonderful opportunity to have the film seen by the public — and to begin its mission of raising awareness of mental health care in America.

But, we have some very disappointing news to share today. There was a slim chance that the film's post-production would not be able to be completed in time with the financial resources we had, but there is also a whole other set of costs for clearances and insurances that are almost one third of the budget that we simply do not have. Director Sandra Luckow has a team standing by, a dedicated team that has to give paying work a priority OVER festival deadlines. Everyone, including you, our supporters have given as much as they have. Sandra has yet to take a penny and is supporting herself with university teaching. As things stand right now, it is unclear if the film will be completed. There is nothing left in the tank.

With great sadness we had to withdraw from the Maryland International Film Festival. Recognizing the importance of the film, the festival gave Director Sandra Luckow an invitation to show at next year's festival if it gets completed.

As things stand today, the film is "shut down" — that means we are at a complete stand still until another $150,000 is raised. Many people do not know the post-production costs of a film after photography and picture edit are finished. This our scenario:

The budget required to complete the film is:

• $40,000 for music scoring and rights to license music not written specifically for the film (i.e the James Bond Theme)
• $25,000 for sound editing and mixing
• $20,000 for rights and clearances (legal necessities)
• $15,000 for publicity
• $20,000 for color correction
• $30,000 for errors and omissions insurance

All of you have already given to the film. This is not another direct request for money. However, this is a request for help. If you could just do ONE MORE THING please choose one of these action items and make it happen today:

• Forward this email to your friends with a note about why this film is important to you.
• Like our page on Facebook and leave a comment or share the page on your own page.
• And of course, if you can give again, you can do so safely and securely on the film's official donation page (which is tax-deductible) on the International Documentary Association page:

CLICK HERE TO DONATE

Think of it this way: UNTREATED mental illness in this country costs an estimated 200 billion dollars a year, so much more than what it would take to give each and every person dignified health care which includes mental health.  But we have to begin with an awareness as to where the problems lie.  "That Way Madness Lies..." is our road map.

LATE BRAKING NEWS: 

On the heels of this huge disappointment we received yet another festival acceptance -- the Nice International Film Festival in Nice, France at the end of May. But will it ever be seen? It is up to us.