It’s called THERE IS A NEW WORLD SOMEWHERE and with your help it could be something wonderful. No, it’s not a fan-funded sequel to Terrence Malick’s best film (you heard me). Instead, it’s the semi-autobiographical tale of a young female artist finding her place in the world via pitstops and landmarks in the American Southeast. In short, it’s what newly retired filmmaker Steven Soderbergh defined as “cinema” (as opposed to “movies”) in his recent epic lecture to the San Francisco Film Society. The writer/director is Li Lu (full disclosure: a good friend since our USC film school days) and she’s poured her heart (and brains; and fundraising skills) out into this one. Having worked as a director and First Assistant Director on innumerable short films and music videos, Ms. Lu can navigate the daily obstacles of a unpredictable film set as easily as she can navigate the filmography of Michael Powell or Jean-Claude Van Damme.

Not only has she chosen to bypass the typical studio and independent production company route, Ms. Lu has also taken the unusual step of shunning standard fundraisers Kickstarter and Indie Go-Go. In lieu of those indie film requisites she had teamed up with Seed & Spark,which allows you, the donor, to micromanage your investment. If you’ve ever considered contributing to an independent artist but wanted your dollars to support something other than On-Set Chef or honey-wagons, now’s your chance. You can pay for an apple-box, C-stand cart, hell, a whole week’s worth of Arri Alexa rentals! It’s your money, after all.

You can discover the whole story for yourself, or become part of it, on their campaign page and be sure to follow all the action on their Facebook, Twitter, and Production Blog.