A documentary film about the women who defied the leadership of the Episcopal church in 1974, and became the first women priests.
We are beyond ecstatic! You are the reason this story will come to life.
We are particularly grateful for the leadership of women clergy who have been sharing and pledging fiercely.
This funding will get us through the archive research and most of the filming; but there will be a lot of post-production expenses to cover. It will be easier to raise the rest of the funds if we have a large audience waiting for the film.
Together we can do this.
Margo & Nikki
Instagram @PhilElevenDoc // Twitter @PhilElevenDoc // Facebook @PhilElevenDoc
Eleven women were ordained Episcopal priests against church rules in Philadelphia in 1974. They hit a chord, in a deeply divided world, by questioning who speaks the word of God. The media caught on, and the women priests were thrust into an international limelight. In 1975 four more women were ordained priests. At the time of the ordinations, the women were on a personal journey of faith. Each woman had to decide how to live out her priesthood in the face of an institution that did not accept her.
The Philadelphia Eleven (working title) is a feature documentary film that will tell the story of these women priests in their words.
It will inspire a new generation. The patriarchy is flexing its muscles again. This is a story about women who followed their call, and in doing so challenged society to acknowledge them. We can learn lessons from those whose shoulders we stand on.
This struggle continues. It is still a challenge to be a woman priest; and women are still kept from the biggest decision-making tables around the globe.
Time is of the essence. Many of the “eleven” are with us, but they are quickly aging.
How do we pursue our vocations, regardless of obstacles?
How do we keep our integrity, when it feels like the easy answers ask us to compromise?
How do we stand up for justice in every moment, when life pulls us in so many different directions?
By supporting this campaign, you are actually making this film with us. That is why we lovingly refer to you as our “film family.”
Since 2015, we have taken ten trips around the country, and filmed 12 interviews. We have held phone conversations with an additional seven people who were intimately involved, and begun sourcing archival footage. Grants from MassHumanities and the LEF Moving Image Fund have supported this work, plus unimaginable hours of volunteer time driven by passion and given with love.
Storytelling is a very personal endeavor, and we know how much faith it takes to trust others to tell your story. We are humbled to have earned the trust of the women priests with their stories. For that we are grateful, and we take the responsibility seriously.
There is so much more to film, and many more archives to go through. After we gather all the footage, we will need to edit the film. There is a long road ahead. With your help, we can bring this film to life.
See the side panel for a complete description of rewards.
This reward is designed for institutions, churches or individuals with more disposable income. If you already pledged, click “manage my pledge” to choose this reward.
We will still need to raise additional funds after the end of the Kickstarter campaign. Donations at this level will help get us there more quickly.
COMMUNION IMAGE ON TOTE BAG
This image is historic! Artist June Linowitz created “Communion” in 1974 to represent the eleven women ordained priests in Philadelphia.
SOUL CARD with The Rev. Alla Renée Bozarth’s poetry, and images from Bear Blessings Soul Cards.
SIGNED BOOKS
Signed copies of memoirs written by Bishop Barbara Harris, The Rev. Carter Heyward and The Rev. Alla Renée Bozarth, Ph.D. are still available!
1. Pledge to this Kickstarter Campaign.
2. Send a letter to post to our film blog about your experience. Have you ever wanted to tell the eleven how they have paved the way for you? In what ways? All posts must be respectful. Send directly to us: margo@timetravelproductions.com.
3. Share your scrapbooks. If you have photos, footage, or audio recordings of the irregularly ordained women priests, or of any related activities, and you are willing to grant us permission to use them in film, we would love to see them. We are interested in content that relates to the women priests and those who opposed their ordinations. Please include a note granting us permission to use in the film (or tell us who to contact for permission), and your contact information.
Mailing address: Time Travel Productions LLC Box 584 Watertown MA 02471
If they are digitized, you can email to: margo@timetravelproductions.com.
4. Help us find archival material. Some of the key players in this story have passed away. We are looking for older interviews with them.
Please contact us if you are aware of audio or filmed interviews with any of the “irregularly” ordained women priests, or any of the people who played key roles in their ordinations, particularly those who have passed. You can email directly: margo@timetravelproductions.com.
5. Share with friends. Email is the best option. You can also click on the graphic below to share directly to Facebook.
DIRECTOR and PRODUCER – Margo Guernsey
Margo began her film career in 2010 as a producer at WPBT2 (Miami). Councilwoman, her first feature documentary, is touring the country, and will air on PBS’s America ReFramed in the fall of 2019. Over the past 20 years, Margo has worked as a union organizer, non-profit development director, Spanish/English translator and media instructor, always building multi-racial collaborations across class lines to inform the work of building a more just society. Margo brings her organizing, fundraising and filmmaking background to work on film outreach and impact. She holds an MFA in Film (University of Miami), MA in History (Umass/Amherst), BA in History (Brown University), and is a Tribeca/Camden/CNNFilms Retreat Alumni.
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY and co-PRODUCER – Nikki Bramley
Nikki is a director of photography based in Boston. Her work ranges from independent documentaries to high-end commercial projects. Recent broadcast credits include: Councilwoman (America Re-Framed, 2019), Breaking Big (PBS 2018), Seeing Eyes/Feeling Heart (American Masters 2018), NOVA “Addiction” (2018), NOVA “Prediction by the Numbers” (2017), Frontline (2017, 2015). Her documentary and nonprofit cinematography work has taken her across the U.S., and to Thailand, Ireland and South Sudan. Nikki graduated from the S.I. Newhouse School of Communications at Syracuse University in 2002 with a BS in Television, Radio and Film Production.
CONSULTING PRODUCER – Patricia Benabe
Patricia produced feature documentaries Councilwoman (America ReFramed 2019), Memories of a Penitent Heart (Tribeca Film Festival, 2016; POV, 2017) and short films Love The Sinner (Tribeca Film Festival, 2017) and They Took Them Alive (Full Frame, 2017). She co-produced The Hand That Feeds (Emmy Nominee; America ReFramed, 2016) and Reportero (Emmy nominee; POV, 2013). Her films have received support from Ford Foundation, Cinereach, Latino Public Broadcasting, ITVS, POV, Chicken and Egg, Fledgling, and Sundance Film Institute.
STORY CONSULTANT – Rachel Clark
Rachel Clark is a documentary video editor currently residing in Boston. Clients include the History Channel, the Discovery Channel, the BBC, Errol Morris, PBS, the National Geographic Channel, and Cinemax. She edited the Emmy award winning HBO documentary Have You Seen Andy?; the documentary Family Affair (OWN), premiering in competition at Sundance; and The Amish: Shunned for PBS’s American Experience. Most recently, she cut East of Salinas for the PBS documentary series Independent Lens, and several feature length documentaries, including Balian, and Eat Up, both currently touring festivals.
KICKSTARTER VIDEO EDIT and GRAPHICS – The video was a collaborative edit that includes editor David Reeder, story consultant Rachel Clark, and editor Sarah Secunda of Backtalk Videográfica. All graphics were done by Lani Rodriguez of Backtalk Videográfica. The song “Call” was composed by widely regarded composer of choral music Joan Szymko.
The more we raise, the bigger the audience for the film.
We want to show the world that viewers are hungry for a documentary film about the original women priests.
ON OUR WAY: If we raise $70,000, you will help us move this project forward! Our funds support the production crew and archive researcher who work to gather footage. There is very little overhead, because we all work from home offices.
FINISH PRODUCTION: If we raise $120,000, you will fund the completion of filming. The farther we get in production, the more money we spend on an editor.
FIRST ROUGH-CUT OF FILM: If we raise $235,000, you will fund us all the way to our first rough-cut! At this point our production crew expense is for archive research and producing, and a lot of our time is now in the edit room.
Instagram @PhilElevenDoc // Twitter @PhilElevenDoc // Facebook @PhilElevenDoc
Our biggest challenge is timing. We want to make this film as soon as possible, but there could be production delays caused by scheduling, licensing of archival, fundraising for postproduction, and finding the right editor — among other things that can come up in life. These delays could also delay the delivery of rewards associated with different stages of production.
Based on years of experience, we are confidant we will overcome all challenges that come our way.