Matches is a story of love, forgetfulness, fear, loneliness and all those mixed feelings during the COVID-19 pandemic. COVID-19 that devastated the world in the last two years and that especially affected the elderly, the great forgotten.
A story of lives that turned 360 degrees, like that of the director’s great-aunt, Carlos Dóniz, who was inspired by her to write and direct her latest short film, starring José Luis de Madariaga and Pilar Acosta.
“As a writer and screenwriter in this case, I needed to contribute something and convey to society what has happened, focusing on this group because it is one of those who have suffered the most and we forget how important they have been and that they are older people. in any family and in the history of this country. And if there is something that causes me a lot of sadness and pain, it is that they have to live the last years with a worse quality of life due to having to be isolated, with fear and uncertainty. That is the seed of Matches”, he comments.
It is a crude story, in which he has tried to “provide some hope because it is also necessary, but it is important that it reflects the harshness of many stories that we do not know and that have happened,” he certifies.
Born in Puerto de la Cruz but an adoption farmer, Dóniz has started a crowdfunding campaign to finance his project through the Verkami platform that began on April 8 and ends on May 20.
The 6,000 euros that he is requesting is not the total budget for the short film, since a little more money is needed to cover items that cannot be paid for in this way and, therefore, he will also seek support from companies and institutions.
It is the first time that Dóniz has turned to crowdfunding. “If culture and cinema in particular have always been in crisis and it is very difficult to access public financing to pay for projects, the pandemic has accentuated these difficulties even more,” he declares.
The director already has the teaser (a preview of the film to attract attention that is usually shorter than a trailer), a small piece that is shot to support the financing process. “Now we are with the pre-production of matches and financing. If we get the money, filming will start, which will last three or four days and is planned for the months of June and July”, he specifies.
Dóniz is “pleasantly surprised” at the results of the initiative. In the first eleven days he has achieved 50% of the funding goal. “That excites us, excites us, but we also know that the rest of the days that remain we have to keep pushing and rowing very hard because it may cost more to get patrons. It is a long-distance race that does not allow rest”, he underlines.
For this reason, Dóniz and his team appeal to the good will of the public, “because many small contributions can add up in the end and we understand that economically these are not easy times for anyone, and you can also help by spreading the campaign among contacts and social networks. ”.
However, it makes it clear that if the goal of 6,000 euros is not finally reached, each of the people who have become patrons will be fully refunded the money they have contributed and in a fairly quick time.
In that case, the shooting will be planned in another way so that the costs are lower, confirms Dóniz. “The problem with lowering the budget is that it is detrimental to the quality of the project,” he says. If the goal is not achieved through crowdfunding, the shooting date will be extended over time because Dóniz and his team will have to find another financing strategy that allows them to cover the “minimum” expenses they have planned to try to have “the best piece audiovisual possible with which we can later make a quality distribution and that can access contests and festivals”, he stresses.
