In early February when I started working on New Mo’ Cut: David Peoples lost film of Moe’s Books I didn’t know who shot the found 16mm footage of Moe at the opening night party for his Telegraph Avenue bookstore and I never thought I would launch a crowd-funding campaign. By mid-March I was shocked by the discovery that the filmmaker was Oscar-nominated screenwriter David Peoples’ and the following realization that crowd sourcing is a dynamic way to build a community around the film, while raising vital funds that will help bring this unique Berkeley story to the big screen. I couldn’t miss this opportunity to take New Mo’ Cut to the next level and learn how to navigate the scary all-or-nothing world of Kickstarter. The campaign to raise $8,500 by 3pm Friday May 8th, launched at Moe’s Books last Tuesday April 7th. With your support of New Mo’ Cut will be completed by the end of June in time for festival submissions. Check out our distinctly Berkeley rewards for backing the film including premiere screening tickets (Mid-summer date TBA) a walking tour with Quirky Berkeley’s Tom Dalzell (fall date TBA), and tickets to our wrap party at Longbranch Saloon on Sunday June 28th. I’m grateful my former colleagues at the award-winning news site Berkeleyside.com are supporting the film as its exclusive media sponsor.

Click here tO SUPPOrt NEW MO’ CUT on Kickstarter

I look forward to sharing updates on our progress over the next few weeks and when we reach our goal of $8,500. You can follow updates on Quirkeley.com or on our Facebook page and Twitter.

About the Film

New Mo’ Cut: David Peoples lost film of Moe’s Books is a short documentary chronicling the surprising discovery at the Berkeley dump of a 16mm film of Moe Moskowitz at the opening night party for his legendary Telegraph Avenue bookstore in 1965. Kevin Laird, a recycler working for Urban Ore, found the film canister and managed to deliver it into the hands of Moe’s daughter Doris who didn’t know of its existence or origin. Soon after the film is digitized and put online, Doris discovers the filmmaker is Oscar-nominated screenwriter David Peoples. The two-minute, forty-six second workprint is a time capsule of Berkeley and a peek into Peoples’ early documentary film explorations before gaining notoriety as a screenwriter rewriting Blade Runner, earning an Oscar nomination forUnforgiven and co-writing 12 Monkeys with his wife, screenwriter Janet Peoples. New Mo’ Cut: David Peoples lost film of Moe’s Books recalls one of Telegraph’s larger than life characters, while musing on books, filmmaking and reclaiming history from the waste stream.