We Did It! "The Interpreter" Garners Minimum $20k to Begin Production

By Katharine Allen & Barry S. Olsen

Published August 25, 2015

Wow, what a great way to start off the week! Four days before the close of the Kickstarter campaign to fund “The Interpreter,” we reached our goal of $20k, making the campaign a success. Monday saw almost $2k in contributions alone. One thing is clear, we wouldn’t be where we are today without the amazing support from the interpreting community in the United States and around the world. Together with other supporters, you rose to the challenge, and we are grateful.

If you are just coming to this story now, "The Interpreter" is a proposed short narrative film that seeks to shed light on the plight of interpreters left behind when Western military forces withdrew from Afghanistan and Iraq. InterpretAmerica is partnering with Her Pictures, the USC Media Institute for Social Change and No One Left Behind to produce "The Interpreter."

Since we began reaching out to interpreters everywhere in early August, there has been a sustained flow of contributions—some small, some large, but all important. And there is still time to contribute and keep the momentum going because the more we raise the better chance we will have of landing A-list actors and a top-notch director of photography, which will result in more visibility for the film and the cause.

For now, it’s time to celebrate a little. So, take a minute to watch a short video (below) produced this week by Her Pictures about Jack,an interpreter who received support from No One Left Behind as he worked his way through the process of applying for a special immigrant visa. Jack arrived last week in the United States after working six years for the US military in Afghanistan and after two years of being hunted by the Taliban while he waited for his visa to be processed. This video helps drive home the “why” behind the effort to fund and produce “The Interpreter.” Enjoy!

It’s also time to say “thank you.” We wouldn’t be where we are today without your support. Who says a diverse group of professionals, like interpreters and interpreting company owners, can’t rally around a good cause and make a difference? We can and we did.

Now it’s time for us to step back and let the talented team of filmmakers produce a compelling story that will bring this issue to the public eye. Pre-production and casting begin September 1, with filming set to begin on December 1.

If you haven’t done so already, be sure to subscribe to the InterpretAmerica blog for updates on production and special screenings of the film in 2016 in venues across the United States. Thanks again. It wouldn’t have been possible without your support.