Crowdfund This: 'Mila', 'Orient City' and more

Mila is a CG short film directed by Cinzia Angelini, that is being produced by 250 artists from more than 25 countries. Angelini has worked on movies for DreamWorks, Disney, Sony Imageworks and Illumination but for the past couple of years has been working on a much more personal project. Although the film is well under way, the team are now turning to crowdfunding to help complete the film.

Mila is the story of a young Italian girl who lost her family while caught up in the bombings of World War II, and hopes to highlight the plight of children caught up in war. It may be set in 1943, but sadly with current world events affecting children particularly, this story is more relevant than ever. It's an intensely personal story for Angelini, set in her hometown and based on the childhood recollections of her own mother.




In order to complete the film, the Mila team are looking to raise $60,000 by June 13th. The animation and artstyle here are looking just gorgeous and it's all in the name of an incredibly worthy cause too. Perks start at $5, with other rewards including artbooks, posters and prints.

The official synopsis explains the story:

Mila is the story of a little girl who loses her family during the war in Trento, Italy. Thanks to a young woman who comes to her rescue, Mila survives a devastating bombardment and takes cover in the woman’s house. Mila clutches the last remnants of her past, a worn-out hat and a tattered Carousel ticket, in her hands. In the house she finds comfort in a hidden rocking horse, and music box. Both elicit memories of her mother at the Carousel, and sparks Mila’s imagination. As the woman mends what she can of Mila’s hat, the bond between them is cast. The woman and girl survive the war-torn night, and emerge the next day to witness the beginning of the end of the War. Confronted with their losses and drawn together through their ordeal, they find salvation in each other and the new life they then build together.

Head over to the IndieGoGo page for more details or to pledge your support now. Check out the trailer below.



Meanwhile, on Kickstarter, a very different project is looking for support. Orient City: Ronin and The Princess is pitched as a Samurai Western, hand-drawn by Zsombor Huszka. If the words "Samurai Western" aren't enough to grab you on their own, the art-style shown off in the pitch video should do it. The script, storyboards and animatic for the short have already been completed, but the production seeks $30, 0000 to be able to take on a team to complete the film. The campaign will run until June 3rd. Head on over to the campaign page now.




Despite the name, Dragons and Weed Origins has nothing at all  to do with drugs. Instead it's an anime and manga influenced action and adventure series, coming from French team OG-Zone. The title comes from the nicknames of the two lead characters, a pair of soldiers in a futuristic setting. The project seeks €46,000 by June 19th to create the first 50 episodes, which will be released streaming on Youtube. Head over to the project page now.





Lastly, but no means least, is one for the gamers. Lynn and The Spirits of Inao is a sumptuous 2D platformer heavily influenced by the films of Hayao Miyazaki. The trailer even shows the music is a pretty spot-on riff on the work of frequent Miyazaki collaborator Joe Hisaishi.  The project seeks  €53,000 by June 2nd. Head over to the campaign page if you want to help make it happen.

Update: This project has been canceled.