Indie filmmakers Eric Ristau and Geneva Liimatta are making a strange documentary.
This husband-and-wife team from Missoula, Mont., is putting together a film about motorcyclists who bring their dogs along for the ride.
These dogs ride in sidecars and wear specially designed dog goggles (called “doggles”). The movie is entitled Sit Stay Ride: The Story of America’s Sidecar Dogs.
“Seeing a dog in a sidecar brings a smile to everyone’s face,” says Liimatta. “Our film explores the relationship between sidecar dogs and their motorcycle-riding humans. The dogs and humans we’ve met while shooting this project are amazing characters. You’ll love them all.”
[ Also Read: Budweiser and FOX to Release Football Documentary Films ]
So far, footage for Sit Stay Ride has been shot in Washington, California and Montana.
“We’ve found other amazing sidecar dogs in other parts of the country,” Ristau says. “We really want to include them in the movie.”
Ristau and Liimatta have a budget of $28,000 for travel, a soundtrack, sound mix, color correction, DVD manufacturing, distribution and promotion.
So, they have launched a crowd-funding Kickstarter campaign, encouraging dog-lovers, motorcyclists and anyone else to support production of the film. Thus far, about $10,000 has been raised.
Depending on their donation level, Kickstarter contributors will receive thank-you gifts that include behind-the-scenes photos, bumper stickers, on-line previews of the movie, DVDs, T-shirts and viewing parties.
“It’s a great story,” says Ristau.
