To the Moon and Back

To the Moon and Back" is a heart-wrenching look into the healing relationship between a mother and daughter during their coming-to-terms with the mother's drug addiction. Shot over the course of 16 years, we witness many transformations of a mother with an addiction and a daughter deeply affected by it. Tarah's intimate journal entries help us understand the process of coming to terms with who she is, the challenges of filming her mother's situation, and how painful true, loving acceptance can be. We visually experience the strong connection that develops between mother and daughter, and ultimately, we see how this guileless home film saves the lost souls of two beautiful beings. Shot between Canada's East Hasting, Salt Springs Island, Vancouver Island, and Bali, this film takes you on a journey to the heart of every relationship, and the only true thing worth fighting for, LOVE.

How you can help

By donating to this film you are helping with the finishing cost to see this film to its completion. What we have accomplished is capturing over 40 hrs of footage, and digitizing it.  What we are seeking is another 20k for post-production and marketing. 

• Hire full-time editors
• Hire camera, sound lighting and a studio to shoot any additional pick up scenes
• Hire audio mixer to record the narrative
• Hire a color corrector
• Hire sound designer (to perfect the recorded audio)
• Hire compose an original score

• money to submit to film festivals
• Paid ads and marketing tools on social media and other platforms
• hire a public relations person. 

How the money will be spent 

Every dollar you spend will go directly to the film and anything extra will go towards pushing our message and story to as many outlets and platforms as possible.  If we don't meet our goal, we will still use whatever money is raised towards getting the film finished and out there. 

If you cant personally donate you can still help! 

Help us get the word out there. Share this campaign to all your social media outlets, call, email anyone you think would want to help. Every bit of energy counts, not only the money:)

If you want to offer support in another way or to contact us, you can go to our website and use the contact form.

Website: https://www.tothemoonandbackdocumentary.com/  

Instagram: tothemoonandbackdoc

Facebook: tothemoonandbackdocumentary

 

My mom and I around 2007.  

Mom and I around 1989   

Mom and I around 1985

Meet Our Team!

 

My mom/Kati Dowling: Subject/Directors assistant ( helped with signing releases, lugging equipment, aiding me on what to capture, and bravely  exposed her life for us) 

Bio: Born in Alberta, Canada. Was adopted into a middle-class family as a baby, with two separate adopted brothers. She grew up between, Edmonton and Banff. With a strong desire to act she was the star in her high school acting class, but soon fell into drugs and dropped out of school. She met Tarah's father at 17, soon after she had her first child. In 1980 she gave birth to Tarah and had 2 more sons. Tarah's father and her separated 2 years after she was born. Kati attended many treatment centers for her addiction as her kids were taken away from her addiction. Without success, Kati eventually moved to Vancouver and lived out her life in East Hastings. She loved writing and wrote many poems and children's stories. She also wrote an essay on her life while recovering which was published. You can read that story here. Kati was very supportive of making this film for Tarah and the healing it could bring to others. 

 Me/Tarah Dowling: Subject/Director/ Producer

www.tothemoonandbackdocumentary.com 

Bio: 

In 1999 at the age of 19 while modeling in London, Tarah was first introduced to the world of documentary filmmaking. She quickly realized at that moment making a Documentary was the most intimate way for her to share her story. With a passionate desire to create her film, she began putting herself through courses in filmmaking and bought her first professional camera in 2002. She began capturing the life around her until her mom would finally agree to let her film her. In 2004 Tarah received an upsetting call from her mom, telling her she had hit rock bottom. Tarah used the money from a large Canadian campaign called Jacob to fly herself and her boyfriend home to make the documentary “To the Moon and Back”. Tarah continued capturing her story with her mom while fulfilling her own life goals. She modeled in Los Angeles for the next 3 years, then lived and created a shoe line in Bali, Indonesia for the next 4 years. Later moving to San Francisco and going back to school to get her Bachelor in Studio art. Tarah currently lives in Los Angeles as a model, completing her bachelorette, and this film. 

Read her life story here

 

Benjamin Roy: Writer/Project manager/Moral support

www.venturevisuals.com

Bio:

Dodging the rare honor of being named Adweek's "Creative Director of the Decade" by a matter of inches, Benjamin Roy has nonetheless been shaping cultures, blazing trails and building world-class brands for the last ten years. At GoPro, he co-authored We Are GoPro. At Google, he managed the Agency program (1.7B) and co-authored The Small Think Big Book. At Intel, he developed the blueprint for The Creator’s Project, a joint partnership with Vice.

 Josiah  Thiesen: Editor  

http://www.josiahthiesen.com/ 

Bio:

Filmmaking and storytelling have always been in my blood. With my dad being raised in Brazil and my mom in Uruguay, I grew up with a desire to experience and share other cultures through film. I graduated from the University of the Nation’s film school in 2006 and have directed projects in Israel, Bosnia, Denver CO, Fresno CA, Minneapolis MN, and Kona HI. Worked on projects such as; Sex+Money, Chosen & Dearly Loved, and Prey. 

 Caleb Thiesen: Editor 

https://calebthiesen.com/

B.A. in Cinema & Media Arts with 10 years of Adobe Premiere Pro. Worked with Gnet, Brevity Wit, and Saatchi & Saatchi where I Edited spots for Destiny, Battlegrounds, Wolfenstein, Dishonored, Assassins Creed, Call of Duty, and others. I have also been a contract editor on internal case study and event recap videos delivered finals for various Toyota spots, both for broadcast and web. 

Mike Bishop: Graphics/ Drone operator/ Camera operator 

http://www.motioncraftaerials.com

Bio:

Motion Craft was founded by veteran Aerial Cinematographer and Drone Pilot Mike Bishop. With an immense background in commercial and action sports film making and a track record of award-winning success for top brands and agencies, you know your project is in good hands. Mike Bishop founded Motion Craft after realizing the continuing demand for high-end aerial filming in commercials, films, and television. Bishop has assembled small a team of world-class filmmakers and producers to help facilitate productions big and small.

Greg White: Sound editor/ Color correction

http://www.pearlstreetpost.com

Bio:

Greg White is a veteran film colorist with thirty years of experience in the Hollywood entertainment industry. Greg's repertoire is diverse, including TV series, music videos, commercials, and Features. His personability and technical skills create the perfect ambiance for Greg and his clientele to breathe life into their images.

 Richard Breakspear: Composer 

www.richardbreakspear.com

Bio:

Richard Breakspear (aka Reg B) is a music composer whose compositions have featured in Films, network TV series and trailers. Known for his dark ambient style, his compositions are a blend of traditional orchestration with contemporary elements. His music has featured in trailer campaigns including Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation, Girl With All The Gifts, Lights Out, The Gallows, The Avengers, Sully, Power Rangers, Marvels Dark Phoenix. Marvel, Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, CBS, NBC The CW and Fox have all featured his original music in their marketing campaigns.