Dear friends & supporters, It's been a while, and I'm writing to
you to share some excellent news. As you know, eighteen months ago I
initiated this crowdfunding campaign to raise money to buy small homes
for each of JALANAN’s three street busker protagonists – Boni, Ho &
Titi. Today I'm thrilled to tell you that his campaign has finally
come to a successful close. For a year and a half, as JALANAN screened
at over 50 international festivals, I’ve taken the campaign around the
world, and at every post-screening Q&A session have offered this
initiative as a way for audiences to personally help make a difference
in the difficult lives they just watched on screen. Donations came in
from hundreds of JALANAN viewers from over 20 countries - from Australia
and Canada to Italy and Iceland and Israel, from Indonesia and Malaysia
to the U.K. and U.S. Bit by bit (along with a separate donation campaign
in Indonesia too) we raised over $40,000 in this manner, from people who
were moved by a story. If you are receiving this note, you are among
the generous people who responded so charitably to our campaign, and I
am deeply grateful and want to congratulate you for being part of
something very special. This week, Boni, Ho & Titi received keys
and a full ownership certificates to their very own homes in South
Jakarta, providing them with long-term security and making life on the
streets part of their past rather than present. Their homes are small
and humble - it’s all we could afford. But as people accustomed to
living from hand to mouth, it’s more than they ever dreamed of owning.
And as anyone who saw JALANAN knows, these three know how to make the
best of any situation and have proven they can beautifully renovate even
a sewage tunnel. In addition to the house purchases, I’ve set aside an
extra $1,000 for each of them to buy basic paints, furnishings and
appliances. They are busy at work already, and the photos here show the
houses after just a day of initial painting and fixing up. This closes
an important circle for me both as their close friend and as a filmmaker
who has spent the past 8 years witnessing their struggles, triumphs and
setbacks. As members of Jakarta’s working class, their future will still
be fraught with challenges. But having roofs over their heads and a
property asset to call their own will undoubtedly help them along the
way. JALANAN has already impacted key social and political policies in
Jakarta (which you can see more about in this CBC news report:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGIq4pTi4oY). I’m relieved that now the
film will have a direct, lasting impact on the lives of its three
extraordinary protagonists. I remain amazed and encouraged by the power
of a simple story even in this cynical age. Most of all, I am hugely
grateful to all of you who were touched enough by the JALANAN story to
personally contribute to this project. We received donations as small as
$2 from an Indonesian high school student, and as large as $10,000 by a
big-hearted donor who I’ve never met in person and who insists on
remaining anonymous. We also received $4,000 from Jakarta’s maverick
Governor, Ahok, who after watching the film reached into his own pocket
to support three impoverished residents of his city – precisely the
opposite of corrupt politicians who steal money from the people to
enrich themselves. This campaign could not have happened without my
wonderful little team in Bali – Lakota Moira, Niken Rahayu & Maya
Larasati, who worked hard for months, mostly without pay, to help manage
this complex initiative. Finally, if you have donated $50 or more to
this campaign and for whatever reason haven't been in touch with us to
claim your DVD and still wish to claim it, please get in touch with us
right away, as we will be taking final requests/mailing address data
only until November 30. We'll need your full name, postal address and
contact phone number in order to ensure timely delivery. (If you prefer
a digital download link instead, please let us know, as this will save
the campaign the additional expense of couriering a hard copy DVD. And
by the way, JALANAN is now also available online ($4.99 rental, $12.99
sale) via Vimeo-on-Demand: https://vimeo.com/ondemand/jalanan. Please
feel free to share that link with anyone you think may be interested in
our little film! Once again, thank you all so much - from me and from
Titi, Ho & Boni - for turning our dream into a reality! Daniel Ziv
Director/Producer 'JALANAN'
