All around us, roosting in trees or crevices, or silently migrating through our neighborhoods, bats go unseen. Kristin Tieche's documentary explores the crucial roles that bats play in our shared environment, and how a team of real-life Bat Women are fighting for a better future for both bats and humans. The stakes are incredibly high, as bats in North America are being devastated by an introduced disease, while the connections between global bat populations and COVID-19 sow unwarranted fear of this misunderstood animal.
The Invisible Mammal is a feature length documentary co-produced by the Wild Lens Collective, a non-profit media company focused on the intersection of environmental conservation and creative storytelling. All contributions to this campaign go directly towards funding the next stage of work on this important project.
The Story Behind the Film:
Production began on "The Invisible Mammal" in 2019. Director Kristin Tieche had been exploring the posibility of launching a feature documentary project about bats since the release of her short film, "The Bat Rescuer" in 2016, and when she connected with Dr. Winnifred Frick, a
All of our production plans were cast aside in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, but this created a unique opportunity for our production team. Kristin had already established a bond of trust with the film's main character, Dr. Frick, as Frick was thrust into the public spotlight at the pandemic's outset. As blame was placed on bats by many in the mainstream media, Dr. Frick spoke out against these characterizations, arguing that providing protection for bat populations may be the single most important preventative measure against zoonotic disease.
As pandemic restrictions eased, Dr. Frick and her team got back to work on their critically important research on white-nose syndrome, the disease that has been devastating North American bat populations since 2006. Our team followed this research through to it's natural conclusion, when preliminary results became available towards the end of 2022. Since then, we've been reviewing footage, developing our sizzle reel and pitch deck, and seeking funding and distribution opportunities.
We need $50,000 to complete work on the film's rough cut. Getting to the rough cut stage will open up a number of potential opportunities, allowing us to reach distributors and festival programmers that can help ensure a successful release. Just recently, we secured a $25,000 matching contribution, meaning that every dollar donated to this campaign is worth double the value!
We have now begun work with our talented editor, Heidi Zimmerman, but need to reach our match goal of $25,000 to complete the edit by the end of this summer.
