Image by Getty Images

This week the Shmooze brings you yet another story about a filmmaker striking out on his own to finance a project.

But this time our enterprising artist isn’t a struggling young film student. It’s a pair of well-established Hollywood successfuls, Charlie Kaufman and Dan Harmon. They have turned to Kickstarter to fund a stop-action movie called “Anomalisa,” about “a man crippled by the mundanity of his life.”

In the promotional video on their Kickstarter page, a bearded old claymation fellow asks, “Can you imagine the unique world of Charlie Kaufman, realized in stop-motion, without the influence of the Hollywood studio system?”

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

While it might seem strange that two heavy hitters like Kaufman and Harmon are offering hand-crafted set props and personalized Twitter thank yous in order to entice people to back “Anomalisa,” their vision seems remarkably simple: “We just want to make something ourselves. Something pure. Something beautiful.”

And it could be just that. Then again, Kaufman, known for off-beat but beloved projects like “Adaptation” and “Being John Malkovich,” has recently faced some difficulties in getting his projects to the public. His latest movie was written and casted, yet fell apart before it could get shot. Last spring, Harmon was also famously fired from his show, “Community.”

Though the Shmooze is sympathetic to the personal setbacks of these men, we’re also pleased that something genuinely innovative can come from their frustration with the system. It feels like a truly American act; a little exercise in for the people, by the people. They’ve already raised $140,589 of their $200,000 goal, and with 59 days to go, it’s likely they’ll get this film off the ground and onto our screens — we wish them the best.

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism you rely on. Make a gift today!

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

$90 $180

$360

Other amount