Kickstart Your Weekend: 'Transient'

Michael Ocampo as Franky in cross-border immigration drama Transient

With so much political energy in Texas concentrating on the seeming exodus of children being sent over the border by their parents, new local indie film Transient.

Written and directed by South Texas native Alexander Stockton tackles the complex subject of children who grew up in America, but arrived here without documentation. Franky (Michael Ocampo) was sent over the border as a child to escape the cartel violence plaguing his family in Mexico. But when his attempts to establish a normal life in his homeland implode, he's sent back to a country he never knew.

Their Kickstarter fund is getting pretty close to hitting its target, with $7,541 pledged towards an $11,000 goal, and six days still to go. However, filming starts on June 23 and runs through Aug. 1, mostly in Austin but with a quick trip to the Rio Grande Valley, so this last push is essential to keep the production on track.

Also, if you need any more incentive, funding this film doesn't just mean the normal posters and scripts. Stockton and his producer Mariana Gonzalez are also pledging to make this one of the most ecologically aware sets you'll see, with a zero-waste commitment. They'll also be using local restaurants for catering, so your funding goes into film makers' bellies and into the local economy.

Find out more or donate at Kickstarter page, or visit the film's Facebook page

Here's a quick update on a few more local projects looking for funding:

The Illustrated Geek Cookbook: The recipe book for the ultimate nerd dining experience is cooking up a storm on its Kickstarter page, having raised has nearly trebled their original $3,000 target. Now author Chris-Rachael Oseland is aiming for $14,000: If the campaign reaches that level, they'll be able to print 3,000 copies in the first run, rather than just 1,000.

The Austin Toy Museum still needs your help. With a little over two days to go, this effort to open a true pop culture institute in Austin still needs to raise $12,000. Get over to their Kickstarter page now!

"Nasty" The killer drag queen short still needs a boost, with $2,416 of its $5,500 goal with eight days left.

Kickstart Your Weekend is a series intended to showcase Texas film and tech projects that are crowdfunding their way to a goal, be it distribution, a prototype, or production costs. If you have a project that we should know about, email us at [email protected].