The Price of Love - IndieGoGo Campaign
Our first news feature is of the inspiring Dan Mcvey. I had the pleasure of meeting him a few days ago and I cannot be more supportive of what he wants to do and the live he is trying to help. Dan is also running an INDIEGOGO campaign to raise enough money to complete his documentary.
Here is more information on what Dan is working on below - head over to INDIEGOGO to show some support:
Summary
I am a jobbing cameraman for hire. I work for the same reason we all work – for money. With a young family I am really not in a position to make my own films. However, I was so angry when I read an article about the new spouse immigration rules brought about in 2012, and the devastating effect they are having on many British families, that I felt compelled to use my skills and own money to make a film to highlight what I think is a grave injustice.
I set about finding out further facts. I attended a meeting at the House of Commons and a rally outside the Home Office. The more I found out the more adamant I was that these new rules are extremely unfair.
I started filming but having taken time off from my day job and using up my own savings, I have run out of money to continue.
I do not want to let down the families I have already filmed, who have such powerful, heart breaking stories to tell. I also do not want to let down the countless other voices fighting for the right to be a family.
Thousands of British citizens have lost the right to have their non-EU husband or wife live with them in their home country, simply because they do not earn enough money. The level set at £18,600 per year is considerably higher than the the national average wage, meaning that many Brits have effectively been told they cannot afford to fall in love.
Tragically, this rule has meant that many young children are being kept apart from a parent for prolonged periods of time.
The Price of Love takes a closer look at these rules and asks whether it is morally just to keep families apart based purely on income.
What I Need
I have been making this documentary with my own money and have reached a point where I simply cannot continue to fund it. As the stories developed, I realised just how important this issue is and knew that I had a duty to execute the doc to a high standard.
To get what I need, I need to take myself and my skeleton crew to various locations. There are other costs but travelling to locations with crew is what really costs money.
I still have to film families in Wales, Ireland and hopefully Russia to complete the documentary, as well as more days in the UK interviewing key figures in the debate (including a possible interview with the Home Secretary, Theresa May).
I have done the math and £3000 is what I am looking for to make sure this documentary gets finished to the standard it deserves.
I know these campaigns are run on the perk system. In this case I don't really have much in the way of perks to give away, as I'm not selling anything. I've helped out many crowd funding campaigns purely as I thought it was a project/film I wanted to see get off the ground. I'm hoping there's enough of you out there who think this subject should have some exposure.
The Impact
People in the UK need to know the very real impact that these spouse immigration rules have on British people. Remember, this is about British people being denied a basic human right - to be with the person they love. The person they chose to marry.
These rules do not apply to EU citizens, which means that a person from Ireland or Poland or Spain is allowed to bring their partners to the UK, while a person with a British passport is told no.
I want this documentary to show the effect these rules are having on children, on sick people, on relationships and ask the viewer to examine the immigration debate with a new understanding.
Other Ways You Can Help
If you want to find out more about the 2012 spouse immigration rules and how they effect families, then please head over to The Migrants' Rights Network and BritCits.
