If you haven't seen Sidney Lumet's classic Dog Day Afternoon, you're missing out. The story of a hapless bank robber (Al Pacino) who gets trapped in a standoff with the police all so he can raise the money to pay for his partner's gender reassignment is based on a true story. It wasn't until 2006 that the inspiration for the title role passed away, and now the filmmakers of a new documentary about the true story behind this classic film are seeking funding in an innovative way. Click to see what makes this Dog Day doc different from the rest of the pack.
The 1975 film portrays a day in the life of Al Pacino's character, who, along with two cohorts, is attempting to rob a bank in order to pay for sex reassignment surgery for Pacino's partner, Leon. Things go awry, and Pacino is trapped, surrounded by police, forced to work his way out of the situation.
Most people know the movie was based on a true story, but not many know the actual story of the real-life Sonny Wortzik, John Wojtowicz, and how he attempted to rob a Chase Manhattan bank in 1972.
A Life magazine article written by P.F. Kluge, "The Boys in the Bank," inspired the film, and now a new documentary directed by Allison Berg and Frank Keraudren called The Dog is aiming to tell the story of Wojtowicz, who died in 2006.
Check out the trailer to the documentary below:
The film has been accepted into the Toronto International Film Festival, but they are still seeking funding. They chose to start a campaign on the new crowdsourcing platform Seed&Spark.
For their campaign -- [the filmmakers] have gone with a new crowdfunding outlet called Seed&Spark, which lets you pick specifically what parts of the film you want to donate to from a “wish list.” This project’s options include archival footage and photo licensing ($25-$100 apiece), poster design ($500) and color correction ($25 per portion).
Seed&Spark is a new fundraising outlet for indie filmmakers. According to their website, they encourage investors to:
FOLLOW the projects that matter to you, BUY or LOAN items on a filmmaker's WishList, and SHARE your activity with friends to earn lots of Sparks!
What do you think of Dog Day Afternoon? And what do you think of Seed&Spark, this new fundraising platform for filmmakers? Let us know!
Links:
- The Dog campaign -- Seed&Spark
- Fund This Film: 'The Dog' Tells the True Story Behind 'Dog Day Afternoon' -- Film School Rejects
