🎬 NOT TO SPOIL ANYTHING BUT… WE MIGHTA MADE SOMETHING REALLY COOL!!! 👀✨ After months of experimental editing, stop motion, collage, sound design, philosophy debates, caffeine, existential crises, and a wildly international creative team… Animananda is almost here. Coming Fall 2026 to a film festival… somewhere!!! 🌍🎞️ Born from the six-part Religion Stories series, Animananda is a poetic documentary journey through faith, doubt, rebellion, ritual, identity, and meaning-making across Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, and Atheism. Inspired by Nietzsche’s “camel, lion, child” metamorphoses, the film asks how human beings carry, resist, and recreate meaning in modern life. This BTS reel is a little glimpse into the chaos, beauty, experimentation, teamwork, and handmade creativity behind the film. 💥 🌐 Learn more: https://www.sofarefilms.com/animananda #Documentary #DIYFilm #StopMotion #ExperimentalFilm #FilmFestival #ReligionStories #Animananda #IndieFilm #CreativeProcess #BehindTheScenes #CollageArt #VisualStorytelling #Interfaith #ReligiousDiversity #Philosophy #Nietzsche #FilmEditing #TeamworkMakesTheDreamWork

People sometimes imagine documentary films are backed by big budgets and grants. I can’t count how many times people have said to me, why don’t you apply for money from NPR or PBS? Or, in Europe the Ministry of Culture supports art projects, why don’t you just apply to them? Obviously, it’s quite a bit more complicated than that. The reality? Grassroots philanthropy (i.e., crowdfunding and private donors) and very very careful economic stewardship is how independent films get made. We make Minding Shadows on a shoestring planning everything down to the minute, just trying to make it work. Through careful leadership, a lot of creativity, and—most importantly—community. Crowdfunding isn’t just about money. It’s about people showing up, each giving what they can, to help a story exist. It’s about a lot of people giving a little bit, each one of them contributing to a pot of money that gets a story told. We’ve stretched every resource and pulled off a lot with very little. Now we just need a final push to bring the film fully into the world. If you’d like to be part of that: 👉 https://www.supportmindingshadowsfilm.com/ Even a small contribution—or sharing the project—makes a real difference. #CrowdFunding #DocumentaryFilm #Fundraising #Independent #WomenInFilm

People often think documentary filmmaking is just about telling a story. But over time, something else happens. You get close to the person you’re filming. You travel together. You share experiences. And eventually, the relationship shifts. At first, I was protective of the project—of the story, the footage, everything I had invested in. But the more I got to know Olivier, the more that changed. He started to feel like family. And with that came something harder to navigate: care, responsibility… and sometimes even guilt. Minding Shadows isn’t just a film about one person’s journey. It’s also a story about what it means to witness, to document—and to care. If you want to learn more or support the project: 👉 https://www.supportmindingshadowsfilm.com/ #documentaryfilm #documentary #indiefilm #socialimpact #filmmakersfamily #movie #film

One thing I’ve come to understand in making this film is that Olivier Biraro doesn’t just have a powerful story to tell—he’s someone who has really taken his own healing seriously. He’s spent years learning, practicing, and growing—through meditation, martial arts, and deep personal work—and he’s genuinely gifted at helping others do the same. “I just want him to be safe and happy… and to be able to teach. I want his voice to be heard.” Minding Shadows isn’t only about what he’s been through. It’s about what he’s learned—and what he has to offer. If that resonates, you can learn more or support the project here: 👉 https://www.supportmindingshadowsfilm.com/ #documentaryfilm #documentary #indiefilm #socialimpact #film #movie #crowdfunding #filmmaking

What does Minding Shadows have to do with you? If you’re alive… if you’ve ever suffered and wondered how to feel better—this story is for you. One thing I hear often is that people don’t feel they can compare their struggles to what the protagonist has survived. But what this film shows, again and again, is something simple and powerful: Pain is pain. Genocide pain. Heartbreak pain. Family conflict pain. Statelessness pain. It’s still pain. And suffering isn’t personal—it’s universal. In a world where everything feels like it’s hanging in the balance, stories like this give us a reference point for how to relate to our own experience—and how to move through it. This film is about that transformation. About having tools to meet life as it is—and move forward grounded, present, and whole. If this resonates, you can learn more or support the project here: 👉 https://www.supportmindingshadowsfilm.com/ #documentary #indiefilm #film #movie #socialimpact #filmmaking #crowdfunding #history

What does Minding Shadows have to do with you? If you’re alive… if you’ve ever suffered and wondered how to feel better—this story is for you. One thing I hear often is that people don’t feel they can compare their struggles to what the protagonist has survived. But what this film shows, again and again, is something simple and powerful: Pain is pain. Genocide pain. Heartbreak pain. Family conflict pain. Statelessness pain. It’s still pain. And suffering isn’t personal—it’s universal. In a world where everything feels like it’s hanging in the balance, stories like this give us a reference point for how to relate to our own experience—and how to move through it. This film is about that transformation. About having tools to meet life as it is—and move forward grounded, present, and whole. If this resonates, you can learn more or support the project here: 👉 https://www.supportmindingshadowsfilm.com/ #shorts

🎬 When the story stops being “just a story”… Minding Shadows began as a film about the past. But over 10 years of sacrifice, real life kept unfolding—and the filmmaker became part of it. This is a film about caring for someone else’s story. And this campaign is about the same thing. We’re trying to grow a community of people who care enough to get this film over the line. If this moves you, be part of that community: 👉 https://www.supportmindingshadowsfilm.com/ Let’s care about each other’s stories. 💛 #documentaryfilm #indiefilm #filmmaking #mindingshadows #socialimpact

A Rwandan genocide survivor driven by revenge reinvents himself through martial arts and meditation, becoming a Buddhist monk devoted to peace—but when political persecution forces him into exile in Europe, he must rebuild his life and confront the past he believed he had transcended. This is Minding Shadows. A story about what to do with pain. About stress, loneliness, anger, survival—and how we move through it. Honestly… it’s for anyone who’s ever been human. We’re 85% done and in the final stretch of finishing this film. This last phase is powered by what crowdfunding is really about: grassroots support—lots of people giving a little to help something meaningful exist in the world. Want to blow some wind on our sails? 😊 👉 https://www.supportmindingshadowsfilm.com/ Even a small contribution—or a share—helps this story travel. #MindingShadows #DocumentaryFilm #IndieFilm #Crowdfunding #SocialImpact #Mindfulness #Meditation #Healing #Resilience #Storytelling #SupportIndieFilm

Where does Minding Shadows begin? Not just as a story about the past— but as a story about how we live right now. This video is an excerpt from a director interview, reflecting on the moment that sparked the film. In a world marked by rising conflict, global instability, and the mounting pressures of everyday life, Minding Shadows offers something different. It doesn’t ask us to pick sides. It asks a deeper question: How do we face our anger, our fear, and our confusion—and transform them? The film began when filmmaker Jenn Lindsay met a Buddhist monk who had survived the Rwandan genocide, imprisonment, and exile. What stood out wasn’t only his story—it was his ability to help others turn suffering into clarity, resilience, and strength. Minding Shadows explores that transformation— and the tools we all need to navigate life with more presence, purpose, and peace. This is not just one person’s story. It’s a story with universal relevance—for all of us, right now. 🎬 Support the completion of the film: https://www.supportmindingshadowsfilm.com/ 🌐 Learn more about So Fare Films: https://www.sofarefilms.com/