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Independent filmmaker Ricky Kelly is looking to raise funds for his feature film project, “Black Beach/White Beach: A Tale of Two Beaches,” a documentary film exploring racial inequality during the famed ‘Black Bike Week’ in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

With its long history of segregation, Myrtle Beach, SC reluctantly hosts two national bike festivals on back-to-back weekends — one primarily white, one predominantly black — causing racial tensions to reach a boiling point every Spring in this seaside community. Kelly’s film “Black Beach/White Beach”, examines the fallout from these two festivals while exploring the history of the segregated beach town of Atlantic Beach, SC, once known as The Black Pearl.

In line with crowdfunding platform SeedAndSpark.com guidelines, “Black Beach/White Beach” has a limited 30-day fundraising window. If 80% of the $15,000 isn’t raised before March 18, all pledges are cancelled and the film will not be funded. The filmmakers raised over $5000 in their first week of the active campaign. There are now five days left on the campaign.

still from 'Black Beach/White Beach' (courtesy of Kelly Entertainment Productions) — still from ‘Black Beach/White Beach’ (courtesy of Kelly Entertainment Productions)

When asked about why Seed&Spark was appealing, Kelly said, “the tools a film-only crowdfunding platform gives you are far superior than a site like Kickstarter or IndieGogo, where you get lost in the shuffle with tech gadgets and other products.” An added advantage for artists is Seed&Spark’s ability to reach audiences sympathetic to the plight of independent film. A “work-in-progress” version of “Black Beach/White Beach” screened at the Cucalorus Film Festival in November of 2016. The project is a recipient of a grant from the Filmed In NC fund and has joined with the Southern Documentary Fund to be its non-profit fiscal sponsor, making all donations to the project tax-deductible.

A lifelong lover of documentary film and motorcycle culture, Kelly is now an emerging filmmaker in his own right. With a background in Communications, the loving husband and father has waited nearly 25 years to tell a story of events that will capture the hearts of many. With “Black Beach/White Beach”, he aims to be a voice for the people as well as suggest resolutions to resolve issues related to racially-motivated tensions across the United States.

Check out the appealing trailer below and see more about the campaign at: www.BlackBeachWhiteBeach.com and on their Seed&Spark.com crowdfunding page.

Black Bike Week

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