Why we need to run a new crowdfunding campaign

It’s not easy making a film, especially these days. Here’s a reply I received from a film distributor recently:

• We're not in the market for docs at this time as they are just getting impossible to place. Theatrical has just bottomed out, especially here in Toronto. And it's getting impossible to sell them for broadcast/ streaming.

That person was just stating the facts: it’s a tough market and we will never recoup the costs of making this documentary.

But we knew that already: we were never in this to make money. We’re in this to make a great film and, at last, tell the forgotten story of the Dresden tragedy. And we are getting interest. We will sell this film, and although we still have a lot of work to do, we will raise the $200,000 we need to complete it.

2023: How this project began

We started working on DRESDEN 1957 in the summer of 2023. I used my own money to buy the equipment and lived off savings so I could dedicate my time to this project.

My colleague, Joseph Crawford volunteered his free time to help me with shooting interviews - which included time to set up and test the equipment beforehand and time to organize footage after each interview.

That allowed us to get this project off the ground, but by 2024, we needed to raise money to keep the project moving.

Joseph Crawford filming in the Aylmer Cemetery in July 2023

2024: Completing principal photography

In June 2024 we launched our first crowdfunding campaign. It was an incredible experience - we didn’t just raise $78,000, we found a whole community of people who wanted to help. 128 people contributed - which was remarkable - and we got all kinds of support in other ways, too.

Strangers would walk up to us while we were filming and when we told them what we were working on - it turned out that they knew this project!

That support, financial and practical, and all the good will that came with it, allowed us to complete principal photography in 2024.

We now have most of the film “in the can.” In the fall we completed the 3D scan of the riverbank, and worked hard to organize the enormous amount of footage we’d shot, and get it ready for post-production.

Pawel Kacprzak filming in the pumping station in Dresden, Ontario. This was the second site chosen after the disaster.

2025: Releasing our first pitch trailer for DRESDEN 1957

Along with organizing our footage, Joe and I worked on a first pitch trailer for the film. This video shopwcased some of the new material we shot last summer and provided viewers with a first taste of what the film will look like. Originally we'd hoped to release the pitch trailer at the start of the year, but that was delayed until Canada Day. So far the video has been viewed over 50,000 times on Facebook and YouTube.

The video showcases some of the new material and interviews from 2024. The photo was taken by Keith Philpott two hours before the tragedy.

Fundraising from other sources

In January, Joe had to return to other employment just to pay the bills. I continued to live off savings while I worked on grant and funding applications. Many writers have gone through the same thing, sending their manuscript to one publisher after the other. Some great novels were rejected many times before they finally made it to print.

Eventually, we will win an arts or film grant, but not for the whole $200,000 we need to finish the film. That’s why I’ve turned much of my attention to other types of organizations and businesses - specifically in the areas of

• Worker safety: like unions, engineering firms and associations, contractors - organizations that know that workplace deaths are still happening and that the issue is not widely recognized by the Canadian public

• Dutch-Canadian businesses: such as businesses and agricultural operations that have enjoyed success in Canada and would like to preserve the remarkable story of Dutch postwar immigration for future generations.

• Community organizations like service clubs, church groups, and historical societies who believe that our history - especially local history - should not be forgotten and our children should grow up knowing our stories.

Eric Philpott speaking about the project at an event in Dresden in April 2025

We have supporters in all of these areas, and we will raise funds from them, but it will take time. To keep this production moving forward, we need to kickstart the process. That’s why we will soon be running a second crowdfunding campaign.

Pawel filming from a bridge near Port Bruce, Ontario in August 2024.

Why crowdfunding works

The premise of crowdfunding is simple: it spreads the load. Some people make large gifts and some contributions are more modest, but if 600 people give an average of $100 each, that’s $60,000 and this project is up and running again.

So that’s our goal: $60,000 - which will allow us to return to full time work on DRESDEN 1957 and focus on finishing this film, while I continue fundraising from those other sources.

Joe working on our interview with Jim Coyle, one of the first responders at the Dresden cave-in.

Building the community around this film

Crowdfunding does a lot more than raise money. It builds the community around this project and shows distributors and broadcasters that there is an audience for this film (and, guess what, it’s working)

So please jump in and do what you can! There is enough negative energy in the world these days, with this project we can do something positive and meaningful - and we can do it together.

Thank you for your support!

Eric Philpott

Want a more detailed breakdown of our budget? Read our Financial Report.

Family members of the Dresden victims during a ceremony on the anniversary of the tragedy held in Dresden on August 14, 2024.