Filmmaker seeks support to tell ‘dark’ story

EWING, N.J. — With the successes of three previous films, a local filmmaker is all about giving away

perks in order to receive support for his next short.

Ricardo Lorenzo, an award-nominated moviemaker, currently has a full-time job as a producer and editor for television stations, but has always been interested in making movies, and started with his experimental films in high school.

Currently, he is asking for support to produce a short film called, An Unlikely Story, which is a “dark” comedy about mental illness, he says.

He says family and friends have been very supportive, and that he also seeking funding through indiegogo.

“It’s pretty exciting to see how much your friends and family support your art. I’m indebted to them,” says Lorenzo.

However, at this point he has met less than half his fundraising goals. He says he will need about $10,000 to support his cast and crewmembers.

Lorenzo has learned a lot about production from his three previous films: Insomnolent (2009), Enlightenment (2012), and Transparent (2013).

“Since Transparent, I grew to really understand everyone in the cast and crew deserves some sort of payment,” he says.

Even though most of his budget will go into equipment and post-production, he says he has to feed his cast and crew, and pay for locations and equipment rentals.

“Pretty much all I can ask is people help us by contributing to indiegogo. Maybe you’re not into it, but maybe you have a friend that might be. We’re just really looking for help to tell this story,” Lorenzo states.

He promises that supporters will benefit from some really “dope” perks that they are offering.

These include early released DVDs and limited edition movie poster giveaways.

Expecting more success, Lorenzo thinks An Unlikely Story will most likely attract an audience who are fans of dark comedy and Todd Solondz films, he says.

The movie will be emotional, addressing issues of companionships, cannibalism, and how important it is to have someone to talk to when one is a loner battling depression.

“We are currently in development; slowly coming into pre-production. And we’re hoping to shoot in June of this year,” Lorenzo said.

Fans will be able to get DVDs as early as Sept., but he does not expect to show the movie publicly until Jan.

For now, Lorenzo is “just going to keep making movies. Everyday, I’m contemplating my next film — hopefully a feature,” he says.