Chop Wood, Carry Water

I am slowly un-burying myself from what I’ve not so fondly nicknamed “application hell”. Within weeks of each other I applied for a state job (which is quite the process), applied for graduate school, was nominated for an award that had a lengthy application, and created a fund raising page for my trip to Africa that will be coming soon. I literally can’t fathom writing another sentence about myself right now, so I’m going to write about somebody else instead.

A few weeks ago my friend Greg ,who is an incredibly talented film maker,  told me about a new project he was working on. When he mentioned it was  about a Mixed Martial Arts fighter I immediately had a conflicted reaction. I have always been torn in two distinct directions when it comes to MMA. First and foremost, it is violent and hard for me to watch. Even more than that I think it has the ability to breed a culture of violence that all too often revolves around a sense of masculinity that is tied to physical dominance over other people. It’s a scary climate for those who have to live with the consequences of this type of masculinity daily. However, I’ve also always had complete admiration for MMA fighters as athletes. I myself was an athlete up until my Junior year of college, and in many ways it has defined who I am today.

All of that being said, I trust Greg. He is one of the kindest, most genuine people that I know. I knew if he believed in it then it was something of value. I was validated in that the first time I saw the trailer. Jens Pulver is the subject of his new film, and as you will see from the trailers that what he experiences in the ring is  nothing compared to the fight he’s had to produce his entire life. He’s a compelling individual, and regardless on mine or any other opinions about MMA, I truly believe his story needs to be told. And nobody will do it better than Greg.

I urge you all to watch the trailers and see for yourself. This project isn’t just about one fighter. Greg is an independent film maker who has to individually seek funding for the majority of his projects. He has to fight for every single film he believes in for it even to be considered to be made. It’s an amount of stress that I can’t even imagine.  However, I think it makes his opinions, his beliefs, and his projects that much more genuine.

If you like what you see from the trailers, or if you just want to support an incredible film maker from Boise, Idaho, I urge you to visit here and donate. If he doesn’t get the $25,000 pledged, then he gets none of it.

Every little bit helps and is so appreciated