You can help make this film with contributions of $10 and above. With your support, we can create a movie that will promote the history and raise awareness of the heroism of the first African-American Marines for generations to come.

Help us tell the story of courage and valor of the first African-American Marines. Black Boots is a dramatic epic inspired by the true stories of America’s first African-American Marines trained at the segregated recruit training facility, Montford Point. Later to be known as Montford Point Marines, these young men made history by standing up in defiance to extreme racial prejudice, breaking social ‘norms’ of the times as well as military training records and by continuing to fight for their country, even when treated as second class citizens.

We have invested over $70,000 in script writing, research, and production development, and we now have a solid Screenplay and a Production Plan.We are ready to produce this film and must raise the funds to tell this important story. For that, We’re looking for your Support.

The Black Boots movie will not only share the story of the first African-American Marines, but will emotionally submerge the viewers in the real struggles and challenges that the first African-American Marines faced in America in the 1940’s. Inspired by true recollections from some of the Original Montford Pointers and their families, the National Montford Point Marine Association, and the National Archives, this film will serve to share an educated artistic understanding of what it meant to join, serve and fight for America as a black man at that time.

Being a fictional retelling of the legacy of the Montford Point Marines, there are liberties taken to weave a cohesive and entertaining tale, but Black Boots maintains the integrity of the events and portrays honestly the challenges, victories, and failures that these men survived.

The film will also paint an accurate depiction of Montford Point as a segregated recruit training facility and how the leadership within that space evolved, shifted and eventually was desegregated and what effect this had on the Marines living and working there.

The story of Black Boots will also include the perspective of generations in order to address some of the larger social issues surrounding this momentous time in our history. Following a modern day family dealing with life while learning about their Grandfather will allow the audience to relate and further understand how a place like Montford Point, and events so far gone, still ripple through time and affect the people of today.

To this point, almost 70 years after their service was called upon, the Montford Point Marines were finally recognized for their bravery and achievements. Thanks to the efforts of the Montford Point Marines Association, on June 27th, 2012, the Montford Point Marines were awarded a Congressional Gold Medal. Unfortunately, to date, less than two thousand of the original twenty thousand original Montford Pointers have been located, verified and properly recognized and awarded their medals.

Their story of physical, political, and social struggle is worthy of recognition. Black Boots will bring to light the obstacles and accomplishments by highlighting their heroism, honor and commitment. This film will serve as a lasting tribute to the courage and valor of these brave men. And a cinematic story like this can reach countless Americans for years to come, raising awareness and opportunities for more Montford Point Marines to be located and honored.

But we cannot get this untold story produced and out to American audiences, without your Help and Support!

Raj Amit Kumar’s Dark Frames Films have joined forces with the National Montford Point Marine Association to bring BLACK BOOTS on Screen. We need your help to get this important story onto the big screen!

Critically-acclaimed Indie filmmaker Raj Amit Kumar is making BLACK BOOTS his next “untold story”. His first feature film, UNFREEDOM, was banned in his home country, being called “too close to reality” by the censor board. UNFREEDOM starred BAFTA Nominee Victor Banerjee, Life of Pi’s Adil Hussain, and had renowned technicians such as Oscar Winner Resul Pukkootty, National Award winning Cinematographer Hari Nair, and Emmy Nominee Wayne Sharpe. After the ban, UNFREEDOM was acquired and released by NETFLIX. Unfreedom won several film festival awards, was theatrically released in the USA, and Kumar pushed back the ban by showing the well received movie across his home country in art communities and universities. Kumar now has a reputation of telling stories that need to be told and getting that film to the audiences. His second film, BROWN, about an undocumented immigrant trying to make a living in a small mountain town has finished production and will release in 2020.

Kumar has always travelled his own path as a filmmaker and told stories about inequality and identity, no matter how difficult those films were to get made. Kumar has been working to find the freedom to tell the “untold stories” that often do not fit into the “commercial viability” of the studio system.

Cast: Anyone seen within a scene in the film including Lead and Supporting Actors, Stunt Performers, and Background Actors.

Crew: All of the professional artists and filmmakers that work behind the scenes to create and produce the film. Most of these roles are listed within their respective departments, such as Production, Direction, Art, Camera, Sound, Casting, Hair, Make Up, Wardrobe, Special Effects, Visual Effects and Locations. Each department, operating under a department head, is in charge of managing their specific area of the filmmaking process, overseen by the Producers and the Direction Team.

Production Design: Established by the Production Designer and locked in by the Director, the Production Design refers to the look and feel of the film. This includes color schemes, mood theory as applied to the Locations, Set Dressing, Costumes, Props, Vehicles, and any other physical item seen on screen as well as the general look for the Cast to include Hair and Make Up and sometimes even Casting.

Logistics: Managing all of the People Needs of a production can be a huge undertaking. This includes all Food, Lodging, Office Space, Communication and Transportation needed to keep everyone working on the film healthy, happy, safe and on and off set when they should be.

Equipment: All of the tools needed to manage, organize, capture and protect the Cast, Crew and film footage. This includes the Camera Gear, Grip Equipment, Lighting Equipment, Specialty Equipment Trucks, Sound Equipment, Hard Drives and Computers needed for editing and backing up the footage, and office supplies like printers and paper.

Admin & Legal Fees: In order to be completely confident we have covered all of our legal concerns, we will have fees involving entertainment lawyers, and contracts. Running a social media and crowdfunding campaign comes with some overhead, including fees from websites and services, some advertising costs, and a couple of online programs and sites that help our team organize and reach out to more people around the world.

In order to produce Black Boots, we will need to complete the Production steps listed above. Our current minimum budget to accomplish this mission is outlined at $200,000.

Major and Minor motion picture studios create films that fit within very specific criteria geared toward a profit imperative. Those kinds of confines are not the best guidelines to telling relevant stories about complicated social and human issues. Motion Pictures like Black Boots must rely on nontraditional fundraising in order to make a quality film.

Filmmaking is expensive. Paying the talented and experienced crew and cast for their skills are just the tip of the iceberg. Things like equipment, locations, props, wardrobe, transportation, legal fees, background actors, payroll, and food all have a budget.

Why we need your support is simple. Traditional studios will not take on a project like this without proof that there is enough of an audience to make it worth their while. By raising the funds ourselves we can take the forward steps to create a film that will be worthy of representing the first African-American Marines.

And for your support, We would like to thank you with some AMAZING REWARDS!

We’re looking for contributions at all levels. Every Supporter is a part of the team. Every helping hand, from Executive Producers to $10 BLACK BOOTS the Movie Community Members, is one step closer to achieving our collective goal -- To share the story of the first African-American Marines with the world.

Though we hope the film itself is your strongest motivation to support BLACK BOOTS, we want to make sure you get something else you might value for your money's worth and for your patronage. We stocked our Rewards Section with amazing options, so check it out and choose a Reward that is right for you.

Maybe you are interested in seeing an exclusive early online screening of the film, or would enjoy a Skype call with the Director or Cast member, or maybe you are looking for that one-of-a-kind experiences like being on set while the film is being shot. Or maybe you prefer a Behind the Scenes Coffee Table Book with exclusive insider stories. Maybe you want to be the Executive Producer on the film!

Whatever you select, all who donate immediately become a member of the BLACK BOOTS Movie Community, and will receive a special thanks on the social media of your choice (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter) as well as regular email updates about the progress of the film and future opportunities.

We also have some more ambitious Rewards that recognize our most generous Patrons as Producers and Executive Producers, and provide VIP Tickets to a premier. There are also a number of quirky Rewards featuring memorabilia, such as some donated items or a chance to be IN a scene in the movie. Want to sit down with a member of the Cast, or receive access to the Director commentary on the film? Just look through our rewards list and see what inspires you!

And pay attention to our Social Media pages because we will be giving away some other interesting opportunities and gifts for those that continue to like, share and promote the campaign with us.

So what we need from you is simple. There are two ways you can help. One, take a couple of minutes and donate by clicking on the Donate Now button. And two, share this page with your social media friends and family. It really does help our cause to Like, Share and Follow. Be a part of the team getting the story of the Montford Point Marines into the memories of every American. Help make Montford Pointers as famous as they deserve to be.

The leadership of the BLACK BOOTS Team is made up of a collection of experienced professionals working side by side with some of the relentlessly motivated representatives of the National Montford Point Marine Association

Filmmaker and Writer, Raj Amit Kumar produced and directed his first feature film, titled UNFREEDOM, in 2015. UNFREEDOM was banned by the Indian government, but went on to receive notoriety and critical acclaim from critics and festivals around the world. The film was released across the US and then distributed worldwide on NETFLIX. Kumar is a PHD ABD, speaker, teacher, and has published several works.

An Indian National Award winning cinematographer & a big name in the Southern Indian film industry, Hari has also been felicitated with the Kerala State Award for his work in films like Swaham and Ende Sondham Janakutty. His celebrated works include Ram Gopal Varma’s Shool, Rituparno Ghosh’s Dahan, The White Elephant, Theevram, Kerala Café (Segment Mrityunjayam) and Swaham.

A Post Graduate in Film Editing from Satyajit Ray Film & Television Institute, Kolkata, Atanu is the editor of the 2013 Cannes Film Festival Midnight Screening selection Monsoon Shootout and more recently edited the popular Netflix film Serious Men. A festival regular, his work has been showcased at International Film Festival Rotterdam, OSIAN, SAFF New York, Abu Dhabi Film Festival, and many more international fests.

Damon earned his BA in Cinema, emphasis on screenwriting, from Southern Illinois University of Carbondale as Summa Cum Laude. He's been traveling across the US, India, and New Zealand working for many departments of the filmmaking process on large and small productions like, Lord of the Rings, Last Samurai, Unfreedom, Up in the Air, Ghost Image, Mickey and the Bear, and Interviewing Monsters ever since.

Don Andrews is an artist, filmmaker, mechanic, and director of the Covellite International Film Festival, located in Butte, Montana. Don has worked for the Portland Film Festival, as a coordinator and later as programming and technical director. Don worked on the award-winning documentary Foodtruck the Movie, as editor and animator. Prior to that, Don worked for LAIKA Entertainment, as an assistant film editor.

A graduate of FTII, Pune, Resul won the Academy Award, BAFTA award and the C.A.S Award sound mixing for Slumdog Millionaire. Having done sound design for over 40 films since 1997, his famous works include Sanjay Leela Bhansali's critically acclaimed Black and Saawariya, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, Enthiran, Ghajini and Bluffmaster.

A Filmfare Awards winner for his score for Gangaajal, Wayne is the man behind soundtracks of films such as Raajneeti, Apaharan, Aarakshan and the recent film festival favorite Dekh Indian Circus!

Sinoy won the 60th National Film Awards for the best Re-recordist of the Final Mixed Track for the film Gangs of Wasseypur. He has worked on more than 350 feature films in almost 20 languages, which includes English, Hindi, Malayalam, Tamil and Marathi cinemas, and also won the best sound mixing at the 49th Kerala State Film Awards for the Film Carbon.

INVESTMENT IN THE FILM

If you are interested in being a Producer on the film with an investment of over $10,000, feel free to write to [email protected] for further information.

Support

Pledge $10 or more Pledge $35 or more Pledge $50 or more Pledge $150 or more Pledge $200 or more Pledge $400 or more Pledge $1500 or more Pledge $2500 or more Pledge $5000 or more Pledge $10000 or more