PACKED IN A TRUNK is a documentary film that celebrates the long-buried
talent of the painter Edith Lake Wilkinson who was part of the
Provincetown art scene in the early 20th century and produced an
astounding body of work.
In 1925 she was committed to an asylum -- perhaps with the help of the
family lawyer who was siphoning off her funds. The lawyer had also
objected to Edith’s “close and constant contact” with her life-long love
and companion Fannie. Once Edith was put away, her work and all her
worldly possessions were packed into trunks and shipped off to a
relative in West Virginia where they sat in an attic collecting dust for
the next 40 years. Edith was never heard from again.
Edith’s great-niece, Jane Anderson (Emmy Award-Winning Writer &
Director), grew up surrounded by Edith’s paintings thanks to her mother
who had gone poking through that dusty attic and rescued Edith’s work.
Anderson learned to paint and draw under the influence of her
great-aunt’s brilliant, light-drenched canvases.
Later, when she moved to New York to pursue her own life as an artist,
she began a decades-long journey to get Edith’s work back out into the
world.
PACKED IN A TRUNK will follow Jane in her efforts to find the
answers to the mystery of Edith’s buried life, as well as her goal to
return Edith’s work to Provincetown and have her art recognized by the
larger art establishment. To quote Anderson: “Edith’s paintings are a
witness to my own happy life. I’ve benefited from all those grand social
movements that have given women of my proclivities the freedom to live
however we damn well please. I’m now in my late 50’s, the age when Edith
was put away. I’m still productive and I’m very much loved. I have the
life that Edith should have had.” PACKED IN A TRUNK is about rescuing the work of lost and gifted souls out of attics and closets and forgotten rooms.
We have been engaged in extensive filming and research and have
already made contact with a team of museum archivists and curators who
are now passionately involved in helping us place Edith’s work into the
context of the art of her time.
With their help we went from having only a single image of Edith to
discovering three new pictures of her from her years in Provincetown.
With the compassionate help of the
current administrators at Sheppard Pratt Hospital, we’ve also been able
to fill in some of the blanks of Edith’s time in that asylum where she
was first institutionalized.
We need to raise a total of $100,000 to complete PACKED IN A TRUNK,
and are actively seeking other funding sources in addition to
Kickstarter (Grants, Non-Profit Organizations donating through our
Fiscal Sponsor, etc) so any amount raised over our current Kickstarter
goal of $35,000 will help us get closer to our overall funding goal.
As you may be aware, a project is only “funded” if you achieve your
Kickstarter goal. Projects that don’t reach their goals are not funded
(and contributors are not billed for their selected amount). PLEASE
help us reach our Kickstarter goal (and possibly surpass it!!!) and get
closer to our overall funding goal.
The funds we raise will assist us in continuing to search, engage,
travel, interview and complete our principal photography. We currently
plan to be shooting through November 2013 and then begin the editing and
post-production process. We will need to pay all the skilled and
talented people who will help the film look and sound like a work of
art. For example, a motion graphics artist will bring portions of the
narration to life. We will also have to pay all the fees for the use of
archival photographs and footage that we intend to license.
Danielle Ate The Sandwich
An integral part of this film will be the musical score
composed by the incredibly gifted singer-songwriter Danielle Anderson
who goes by the stage name “Danielle Ate The Sandwich." It’s Danielle’s
song that you hear at the end of our trailer (as well as several small
musical cues throughout) and she will help give Edith a voice through
the music that will accompany the story. To learn more about Danielle
Ate The Sandwich you can visit her website: http://danielleatethesandwich.com/
REVIEW THE REWARDS along the right side of this page and SUPPORT US through a CONTRIBUTION to our fundraising campaign. SHARE
this KICKSTARTER Project with your friends, co-workers and anyone you
think might want to make a contribution or help us spread the word. LIKE US on Facebook and become a part of TEAM EDITH https://www.facebook.com/EdithLakeWIlkinson CHECK OUT our website to learn more about Edith and view additional artwork http://www.edithlakewilkinson.com Your generous support will bring us closer to completing this film
and will help us to rewrite the tragic end of Edith’s life by giving
her the recognition that she deserves.
JANE ANDERSON – Executive Producer, Co-Writer/Co-Director
Jane Anderson is an award-winning screenwriter, playwright and director. She wrote HBO’s ground-breaking The Positively True Adventures of the Alleged Texas Cheerleader-Murdering Mom for which she received an Emmy, a Penn Award and Writers Guild Award for best teleplay. She wrote and directed The Baby Dance (adapted
from her play) for which she received a Peabody Award, a Golden Globe
nomination and three Emmy nominations for best writing and made-for-TV
film. She wrote and directed Normal for HBO (adapted from her play, Looking for Normal)
which garnered six Emmy nominations, three Golden Globe nominations and
a Directors’ Guild and Writers’ Guild nominations for best directing
and writing. Her other films include the first segment of HBO's If These Walls Could Talk II which starred Vanessa Redgrave, When Billie Beat Bobby,How to Make An American Quilt, It Could Happen to You and The Prizewinner of Defiance, Ohio. MICHELLE BOYANER - Executive Producer, Co-Writer/Co-Director
Michelle Boyaner is an award winning Filmmaker/Writer/Director whose films have included the Documentary short films, Hi, You've Reached Dave's Apartment, and Tina Paulina: Living on Hope Street; the Documentary feature, A Finished Life: The Goodbye and No Regrets Tour and the narrative shorts, You’re Still Young and The Bedwetter. Prior to her film work, Michelle wrote Oh, for God's Sake Whisper It,
a book of personal essays chronicling her beloved Grandmother's battle
with Alzheimer's. Michelle has been married (legally!) to Barbara Green
since 2008, but the couple has been together creatively and otherwise
for over 20 years. BARBARA GREEN – Executive Producer, Cinematographer/Editor
Award-winning Filmmaker/Cinematographer/Editor Barbara Green has completed three documentary short films: O'Day At The Races, a documentary on the life of jazz legend Anita O'Day; Hi, You've Reached Dave's Apartment,
a glimpse into the day-to-day life of her 41-year-old schizophrenic
brother, which premiered at The SXSW Film Festival in 2001; and Tina Paulina: Living on Hope Street,
an inspirational look at a homeless lesbian living on the streets of
downtown Los Angeles. Barbara’s recent work includes the feature-length
documentary, A Finished Life: The Goodbye & No Regrets Tour and the narrative short film, The Bedwetter. TESS AYERS – Executive Producer, Archival Research
Tess Ayers is the author of the best seller The Essential Guide to Gay and Lesbian Weddings. She has been a producer for talk shows (The Dennis Miller Show, Into the Night with Rick Dees, The Late Show); and writer for game shows (Trivial Pursuit, Hitman, Bogus.)
She currently serves on the board of Food on Foot, a Hollywood-based
food-to-work program, and is a trustee at Westmark School in Encino.
Tess is married to Jane Anderson and they are the parents of an 18
year-old son.
We thank you for taking the time to learn more about Edith and hope we can count on you for your support.
Independent Filmmaking is equal parts ADVENTURE, SWEAT,
CREATIVITY, FAITH, DIGGING and MAKING LEMONADE OUT OF LEMONS all while
SEEING THE GLASS HALF FULL.
We have every intention of raising all the funds necessary to complete this film that shares Edith's story with the world.
As we will be "all hands on deck" until the film is completed, we
estimate the delivery of our "rewards" for July 2014. We will keep you
updated if that should change (earlier, even?) but hope that it won't be
any later than currently forecasted.
Once again, we appreciate your support and THANK YOU for being a part of TEAM EDITH.
