Brujos
Chicago, Illinois | Series
Drama, LGBTQ
BRUJOS is a webseries following four gay Latino grad students (that are also witches) as they try and survive the school semester and a witch-hunt led by the straight, wealthy, white male descendants of the New World colonizers. Make a tax-deductible donation to help finish the first season!
Green Light
This campaign raised $20,270 for post-production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
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BRUJOS is a webseries following four gay Latino grad students (that are also witches) as they try and survive the school semester and a witch-hunt led by the straight, wealthy, white male descendants of the New World colonizers. Make a tax-deductible donation to help finish the first season!
In Partnership With
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Donations $50 or more are tax-deductible!
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Panfilo, Brian, Jonathan, and Edwin come into their power with the help of their witch guide La Maestra who warns of The Scientists. Just as they begin to learn their brujos powers, Panfilo’s boyfriend, Carlos, is possessed by a mysterious force and attempts to murder the brand new coven. Edwin stops Carlos--like with a butcher knife--but not before Carlos announces the brujos are the target of a witch hunt. The magic, mayhem, murder, and mystery only levels up as they descend into this new world of witches and witch hunters.
As bodies start to pile up around them and things seem more and more dire, the BRUJOS will be forced to work together to uncover the secrets of just who exactly are The Scientists behind the witch hunt. They’ll learn that their greatest weapon they have against The Scientist is each other--and that they’re not alone. They begin to collect more brujos, people living on the fringe like them, to confront The Scientists in an ultimate showdown.
BRUJOS Trailer - Part 2 (The Hangman) & Part 3 (Death) from Open TV (beta) on Vimeo.
In today's age of "more representation" in TV, we believe that BRUJOS goes above and beyond--we don't just want to show different types of people onscreen. We want to give those characters agency and let them create a fantasy world that envisions a new kind of combat against white supremacy, heteropatriarchy, homophobia, transphobia and oppression in all its forms. Our mission is, at its core, truly revolutionary. It is filmmaking as worldbuilding, because we are trying to create a new world both in front of the camera and behind it.
With one of the most diverse and inclusive cast and crews ever seen, BRUJOS was an experiment in how a group of people can make a TV show collectively. Every single person on set had a voice and was treated as important. We didn't strive to make something that will get bought out by a bigger distribution deal or necessarily be a hit at every established film festival. We are making art in Chicago, for Chicago, art that is by and for everyone. We want to crowdfund this project so that its integrity remains intact and we continue to be a voice for real change with money that comes directly from our fans and supporters.
Some things we need to pay for:
- Paying every member of the cast and crew who put their time, energy, and bodies into long, stressful shooting days.
- Paying folks who are helping with post-production including color correction services, audio mixing, sound design, music composition, visual effects (to create the "magic"), and graphics and titles.
- Expenses that need to be covered in order to shoot Episode 12, the season finale. This includes location fees, art and production design supplies, prosthetics, fake blood and guts, and a fight choreographer so we can film it safely.
BRUJOS is being produced with Full Spectrum Features! They are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and our fiscal sponsor for this campaign. All donations $50 and up are tax-deductible!!!
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Camera Package
Costs $5,000
We need to rent some fancy, high-end pro gear to make this look great!
Social Media Manager
Costs $3,800
Help us grow our community on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
VFX
Costs $6,500
Special effects look cool, but they're not cheap.
Cast
Costs $3,400
Help us pay our talented actors. This is a labor of love, but people need to get paid too!
Crew
Costs $4,500
The folks behind the camera make everything in front of the camera possible.
Catering & Craft Services
Costs $1,800
Help us feed our cast and crew. They've been working hard... and they're hungry!
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
RICARDO GAMBOA is an artist, activist and academic. He is the founding Artistic Director of Teatro Americano and founding adult partner of the controversial youth ensemble The Young Fugitives. He was a fellow of the Hemispheric Institute of Performance and Politics EmergeNYC program, company member of the New York Neo-Futurists, and has performed at a range of institutional and underground venues. He is currently pursuing his doctorate degree in American Studies at NYU’s Department of Social and Cultural Analysis. His short film “The Southside Has Many Beauty Queens” was winner of the Best Short at Chicago Latino Film Festival. Gamboa is the recipient of numerous fellowships and grants including a Joyce Award, NEA Artworks Award, MacArthur Foundation International Connections Award and Latino ImPACT Playwrights Award.
ROBERT STOCKWELL is a Chicago-based director and the owner of the production company Cinema Libertad. He is also the founder of the Palace Film Festival, which features films from a range of artists, musicians, and filmmakers across the country. His first feature film, Burnt in Memory was received at the 2015 Chicago Underground Film Festival. Burnt in Memory is a living portrait of the city of Chicago. Raw yet refined it showcases how it feels to live and die in the Windy City. Borrowing from Dziga Vertov's Man with the Movie Camera, Burnt in Memory takes the same zeal for finding new places to put the camera and how we interact with the camera. Robert's next two feature films “6x9” and "Deep in the Heart" are currently in post-production.
RESHMI HAZRA RUSTEBAKKE is a multi-faceted filmmaker and theater maker. She has her BFA from New York University, Playwrights Horizons Theatre School. During her time in New York, she received the Robert Moss Directing Fellow at Playwrights Horizons Theatre, as well as the Artist of Color Fellowship at New York Theatre Workshop, now the 2050 Fellowship. She works creatively developing new work, but also directing, producing, and production managing many kinds of shoots and plays. She has worked at The Vineyard, Playwrights Horizons Theatre, New York Theatre Workshop, TimeLine Theatre, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Free Street, and many more. She has worked with Anne Kauffman, Lisa Portes, Dexter Bullard, and Les Waters. By day she works in documentary filmmaking, but her free time is devoted to narrative driven content. She is the co-director of critically acclaimed BRUJOS, as well as Geeta's Guide to Moving on, Ethel and Agnes, and several more projects in development. She is a company member with 2ndStory and develops work as a storyteller, curator, and director.
Key Creative Personnel - Crew
Eugene Park-Producer
Aymar Jean Christian-Producer
Olivia Curry-Line Producer
Robert Stockwell-Director/DP
Ricardo Gamboa-Creator/Director
Reshmi Hazra Rustebakke-Director
Dianne Lee-Editor
Laura Madalinski-Editor
Geoff Cronin - Editor
Ana Velasquez-Production Designer
Sal Yvat and Compton Quashie-Wardrobe designers
Zoe Lubeck - Second Camera
Joe Lim - 1st AC
Stephen Ptacek- Composer
Cast
Ricardo Gamboa- ‘Panfilo’
Justin Ignatius Mitchell- ‘Edwin’
Jake Szczepaniak- ‘Brian’
Isaac Gomez- ‘Jonathan’
Arisbel- ‘La Maestra’
Arti Ishak- ‘Monet’
Avi Roque- ‘Vasquez’
Mia Viviens- ‘Selene’
James Park- ‘Ryan’
Masood Haque- ‘Ahmet’
Sean Parris- ‘Coco’
Candido Tirado- ‘Giovanni’
Ramon Rivera-Servera- ‘Professor Cruz’
Coya Paz- ‘Professor Morales’
Aaron Rustebakke- ‘Adam Smythe’
Shade Murray- ‘Hal Worth’
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Donations $50 or more are tax-deductible!
Panfilo, Brian, Jonathan, and Edwin come into their power with the help of their witch guide La Maestra who warns of The Scientists. Just as they begin to learn their brujos powers, Panfilo’s boyfriend, Carlos, is possessed by a mysterious force and attempts to murder the brand new coven. Edwin stops Carlos--like with a butcher knife--but not before Carlos announces the brujos are the target of a witch hunt. The magic, mayhem, murder, and mystery only levels up as they descend into this new world of witches and witch hunters.
As bodies start to pile up around them and things seem more and more dire, the BRUJOS will be forced to work together to uncover the secrets of just who exactly are The Scientists behind the witch hunt. They’ll learn that their greatest weapon they have against The Scientist is each other--and that they’re not alone. They begin to collect more brujos, people living on the fringe like them, to confront The Scientists in an ultimate showdown.
BRUJOS Trailer - Part 2 (The Hangman) & Part 3 (Death) from Open TV (beta) on Vimeo.
In today's age of "more representation" in TV, we believe that BRUJOS goes above and beyond--we don't just want to show different types of people onscreen. We want to give those characters agency and let them create a fantasy world that envisions a new kind of combat against white supremacy, heteropatriarchy, homophobia, transphobia and oppression in all its forms. Our mission is, at its core, truly revolutionary. It is filmmaking as worldbuilding, because we are trying to create a new world both in front of the camera and behind it.
With one of the most diverse and inclusive cast and crews ever seen, BRUJOS was an experiment in how a group of people can make a TV show collectively. Every single person on set had a voice and was treated as important. We didn't strive to make something that will get bought out by a bigger distribution deal or necessarily be a hit at every established film festival. We are making art in Chicago, for Chicago, art that is by and for everyone. We want to crowdfund this project so that its integrity remains intact and we continue to be a voice for real change with money that comes directly from our fans and supporters.
Some things we need to pay for:
- Paying every member of the cast and crew who put their time, energy, and bodies into long, stressful shooting days.
- Paying folks who are helping with post-production including color correction services, audio mixing, sound design, music composition, visual effects (to create the "magic"), and graphics and titles.
- Expenses that need to be covered in order to shoot Episode 12, the season finale. This includes location fees, art and production design supplies, prosthetics, fake blood and guts, and a fight choreographer so we can film it safely.
BRUJOS is being produced with Full Spectrum Features! They are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and our fiscal sponsor for this campaign. All donations $50 and up are tax-deductible!!!
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Camera Package
Costs $5,000
We need to rent some fancy, high-end pro gear to make this look great!
Social Media Manager
Costs $3,800
Help us grow our community on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
VFX
Costs $6,500
Special effects look cool, but they're not cheap.
Cast
Costs $3,400
Help us pay our talented actors. This is a labor of love, but people need to get paid too!
Crew
Costs $4,500
The folks behind the camera make everything in front of the camera possible.
Catering & Craft Services
Costs $1,800
Help us feed our cast and crew. They've been working hard... and they're hungry!
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
RICARDO GAMBOA is an artist, activist and academic. He is the founding Artistic Director of Teatro Americano and founding adult partner of the controversial youth ensemble The Young Fugitives. He was a fellow of the Hemispheric Institute of Performance and Politics EmergeNYC program, company member of the New York Neo-Futurists, and has performed at a range of institutional and underground venues. He is currently pursuing his doctorate degree in American Studies at NYU’s Department of Social and Cultural Analysis. His short film “The Southside Has Many Beauty Queens” was winner of the Best Short at Chicago Latino Film Festival. Gamboa is the recipient of numerous fellowships and grants including a Joyce Award, NEA Artworks Award, MacArthur Foundation International Connections Award and Latino ImPACT Playwrights Award.
ROBERT STOCKWELL is a Chicago-based director and the owner of the production company Cinema Libertad. He is also the founder of the Palace Film Festival, which features films from a range of artists, musicians, and filmmakers across the country. His first feature film, Burnt in Memory was received at the 2015 Chicago Underground Film Festival. Burnt in Memory is a living portrait of the city of Chicago. Raw yet refined it showcases how it feels to live and die in the Windy City. Borrowing from Dziga Vertov's Man with the Movie Camera, Burnt in Memory takes the same zeal for finding new places to put the camera and how we interact with the camera. Robert's next two feature films “6x9” and "Deep in the Heart" are currently in post-production.
RESHMI HAZRA RUSTEBAKKE is a multi-faceted filmmaker and theater maker. She has her BFA from New York University, Playwrights Horizons Theatre School. During her time in New York, she received the Robert Moss Directing Fellow at Playwrights Horizons Theatre, as well as the Artist of Color Fellowship at New York Theatre Workshop, now the 2050 Fellowship. She works creatively developing new work, but also directing, producing, and production managing many kinds of shoots and plays. She has worked at The Vineyard, Playwrights Horizons Theatre, New York Theatre Workshop, TimeLine Theatre, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Free Street, and many more. She has worked with Anne Kauffman, Lisa Portes, Dexter Bullard, and Les Waters. By day she works in documentary filmmaking, but her free time is devoted to narrative driven content. She is the co-director of critically acclaimed BRUJOS, as well as Geeta's Guide to Moving on, Ethel and Agnes, and several more projects in development. She is a company member with 2ndStory and develops work as a storyteller, curator, and director.
Key Creative Personnel - Crew
Eugene Park-Producer
Aymar Jean Christian-Producer
Olivia Curry-Line Producer
Robert Stockwell-Director/DP
Ricardo Gamboa-Creator/Director
Reshmi Hazra Rustebakke-Director
Dianne Lee-Editor
Laura Madalinski-Editor
Geoff Cronin - Editor
Ana Velasquez-Production Designer
Sal Yvat and Compton Quashie-Wardrobe designers
Zoe Lubeck - Second Camera
Joe Lim - 1st AC
Stephen Ptacek- Composer
Cast
Ricardo Gamboa- ‘Panfilo’
Justin Ignatius Mitchell- ‘Edwin’
Jake Szczepaniak- ‘Brian’
Isaac Gomez- ‘Jonathan’
Arisbel- ‘La Maestra’
Arti Ishak- ‘Monet’
Avi Roque- ‘Vasquez’
Mia Viviens- ‘Selene’
James Park- ‘Ryan’
Masood Haque- ‘Ahmet’
Sean Parris- ‘Coco’
Candido Tirado- ‘Giovanni’
Ramon Rivera-Servera- ‘Professor Cruz’
Coya Paz- ‘Professor Morales’
Aaron Rustebakke- ‘Adam Smythe’
Shade Murray- ‘Hal Worth’