Crowdfund This: Enongo - The Sammus Documentary

'Enongo-The Sammus Documentary' is a unique project. Already well into production, the film traces the rise of rapper Enongo Lumumba-Kasongo, known on stage as Sammus, and the experiences that shaped her as an artist. Taking her name from the headstrong main character of Nintendo's video game, Metroid, Sammus uses music to explore the richly-layered facets of her identity as a gamer, feminist, academic, racial justice advocate, and more. Directed by Kevin Schreck, the film is scheduled for release in 2021 and will feature the work of animators Christa Carr, Leah Coleman, Jessica Honore, Brooklyn Lee, Shammah McVay, Ruby Miles, Ariel Paxton, and Anaiyah Tatiana, with character designs by veteran artist Dan Haskett. 'Enongo' will be the first feature-length film to have an animation team comprised entirely of Black women. 

Mostly live-action, 'Enongo' was originally conceived without the intent to use animation at all. The creators decided mid-production that a few animated sequences were needed to give viewers a more intimate glimpse into Sammus's past. In their own words, "Many essential anecdotes and experiences in Enongo's life were absent from our narrative on a cinematic level. We had little visual record of her past in the way we needed, and no way of visually showing what is going on inside her mind. Thus, we realized how to bring those separate but crucial chapters of her journey to life: through animation." 

These scenes, totaling around 10 minutes in length, have been in production for several months now. As of August 20th, around one third of the animation was complete. To fund the costly process of animating their film, 'Enongo's creators started a crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo. They have already exceeded their goal of $20,000 but encourage further donations to cover backgrounds, shading, and other residual costs. There are plenty of perks involved, as well: Donors who give just $20 will be recognized in the film credits, and those on the higher end of the scale could even have their likeness animated in the film.

If you would like to give, check out 'Enongo's project page here.