Still from Aneta Kopacz's documentary "Handkerchief"
Joanna discovers she has three months left to live. She starts a blog for her five-year-old son. While the blog becomes popular, filmmaker Aneta Kopacz shoots a film about Joanna and her struggles. Crowdfunders come to the film's rescue, and release is planned for May 2013.
Chustka / Handkerchief [editor's translation] is the title of Aneta Kopacz's film and the name of the famous blog. When Joanna finds out she only has three months to live she starts blogging, leaving her imprint for her five-year-old son, Jas, and husband Piotr. She describes her daily life, sets herself short-term goals and gives highest priority to her "small" desires. The blog quickly becomes popular. Aneta Kopacz's documentary captures bits and pieces of Joanna, Piotr and Jas's life. Joanna's death interrupted the filming.
Three weeks after the film project approached the Polish crowdfunding website wspieramkulture.pl for financial support for postproduction, funds were raised to complete the documentary. With more than 400 people pledging to give money, 34,000 zloty (about 8,200 euro) were raised, which represents 114 percent of the total budget. According crowdfunders, this is one of the best results in the history of social financing of cultural projects in Poland.
Designed to raise money for specific cultural projects, the website wspieramkulture.pl was launched in December 2012. It has 15 artistic categories: design, film, photography, comics, fashion, music, writing, visual arts, dance, theater and performance art. Current projects raising funds on the site include the third CD of the group Chain Reation, Michal Szlaga's photography project Stocznia-Aktualizacja 2013 / Shipyard-Updated 2013 and the Krakow Festival of Jewish Culture's 23rd edition. The website has a "all or nothing clause" whereby funders' money is returned if a project doesn't receive the required amount within 60 days of registration. Wspieramkulture.pl is Poland's only crowdfunding website devoted entirely to culture.
See more: wspieramkulture.pl
Sources: based on the Polish article for culture.pl
Editor: Marta Jazowska