After a successful film festival screening earlier this month, a documentary filmmaker who showcased the accomplishments of local environmental activist Selma Rubin is now fundraising to create DVDs of his film.
Filmmaker Beezhan Tulu premiered Selma Rubin and Community of Life at this year’s Santa Barbara International Film Festival, a film that celebrated Rubin’s life and accomplishments, including the preservation of El Capitan, Ellwood, the Carpinteria Bluffs and the Douglas Family Preserve from development.
Tulu, a Hawaii-based filmmaker, said the screening of the film was sold out, and even those with tickets were turned away because there was such an impressive turnout.
Tulu said he “could feel Selma’s presence” the night of the screening and that the audience reception was a warm one.
A line of people were waiting outside of the theater to talk to Tulu and show their support.
“I had so many hugs that my back was hurting at the end,” he said, adding that many offered to help distribute the film. “Everyone wanted the DVD that night. So I decided to run a Kickstarter campaign,” he said.
Donations to the campaign can be made by clicking here.
Beezhan said he is working to raise $875 to produce Rubin’s documentary as well as another film, It All Starts in the Soil, which explores the topics of compost tea and topsoil.
“I want to use Selma’s film to ask people to use the power of democracy to build communities and protect our environment,” he said, adding that he’s working to set up additional screenings of both films.
— Noozhawk staff writer Lara Cooper can be reached at lcooper@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
