With donations to the Indiegogo campaign lagging, producers of The Other Side of the Wind have issued a statement assuring donors that the money raised will be used to complete Orson Welles’ last film.
With 12 days left, the crowdfunding campaign has raised just $265,800 of the $1 million goal. They have secured a “matching funds” financier who has agreed to provide an additional $1 million if they reach their goal.
Producers restated their commitment to completing Orson Welles’ final movie.
“This movie will be made! There’s been some talk recently about the amount of money we’ve raised versus our goal. We want to assure you that your money is NOT going to waste. Every penny we earn on this campaign helps bring us one step closer to bringing this film to life and your contributions are a critical part of that. Even if we do not reach our goal, we will make sure your money is well spent in bringing this instant classic to life.”
Producers Filip Jan Rymsza, Frank Marshall and Jens Koethner Kaul secured the partial ownership rights for The Other Side of the Wind that were held by Les Films de l’Astrophore and the late Mehdi Boushehri. Agreements were reached last year with Beatrice Welles, who oversees the Estate of Orson Welles, and Oja Kodar, who inherited the late director’s ownership.
Affonso Gonçalves has been chosen to edit The Other Side of the Wind. Gonçalves is best known as the editor of Beasts of the Southern Wild and Winter’s Bone. Recently, he earned an Emmy Award for his work on HBO’s True Detective.
In addition a 40-minute workprint edited by Welles, the late director left behind scripts and detailed editing notes. Both Marshall and director Peter Bogdanovich worked on the 1970s shoot and will be involved in the editing process.
Principal photography wrapped on The Other Side of the Wind in 1976. The film takes place at the 70th birthday party of director Jake Hannaford (John Huston), who is struggling to complete a youth-oriented comeback during the rise of New Hollywood. The party is attended by young directors, like Brooks Otterlake (Bogdanovich), hangers-on, critics and movies freaks – many of whom are patterned after people in Welles’ life. Hannaford dies at the conclusion of the party. His final hours are recounted in footage shot at the party, interspersed with scenes from his unfinished comeback movie.
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