From Hero to Ally: An open letter to men in support of the feminine
Dear fellow brother,
I’m one of the directors of the forthcoming documentary Amplify Her.
The film follows the rise of women in the electronic music scene; their stories, their challenges, and their unique gifts they are offering this time. Though the backdrop is music, the film is an exploration of the nature and necessity of feminine power.
It all started back in 2012 with a question: how can I truly be an ally to women?
I grew up in a lower-middle class suburb outside Vancouver.
Maybe like me you recognized the aggression and violence perpetuated against women, mostly by other men. With that recognition came the desire to do something about it.
I wanted to protect women from men. I distanced myself from the culture of men, condemning it as dangerous and untrustworthy.
In relationships with women I proclaimed “I am not like the other men. I am not like the one that hurt you.”
I would be their Hero (even if they didn’t ask for one).
This is how many men are conditioned: women are to be saved, just as they are taught to be damsels. Up until very recently, this was reflected to us in countless films, books, and songs. Thankfully, these roles are changing.
As a filmmaker myself, I wanted to participate in this shift. I wondered: what if i made a film about women, celebrating their power, holding them up, amplifying their voices?
The seed of Amplify Her was born.
I realize I couldn’t tell this story without a women’s perspective. I partnered with my friend and brilliant creative Nicole Sorochan, who took my initial kernel and brought in financial resources and structure. The vision expanded to include a graphic novel and motion comic series (written, illustrated, and animated by other female creatives) some working primarily with women for the first time.
After two years of production, we were on track for completion. Nothing could stop us.
Until the summer of 2016.
While the specifics aren’t important, through no fault of our own, we lost almost a 1/4 of our budget. Suddenly what was inevitable teetered toward impossible. Yet through the sheer perseverance of the team, primarily through Nicole’s unyielding belief in the power of this project and her ability to rally others, we brought the project to the finish line.
But we’re not done yet.
We launched a crowdfunding campaign to raise $20,000 toward printing the graphic novel and supporting the film tour.
Ordinarily, a release like these would need hundreds of thousands of dollars in marketing and outreach to give it a chance. Yet we are asking for the minimum needed to take the tour to the next step.
To date (Oct 16), we’ve raised almost 89% of the funding total. Now there’s only one week left to raise the remaining 11%.
Given the themes of female empowerment that seem ripe in response to the rising tide of misogyny, violence, and oppression, this project has drawn wide support.
And yet, it’s continued to be a struggle. The campaign hasn’t had the contributions we thought would be there. We grew disheartened.
This project is about so much more than DJs. It’s a Trojan Horse that offers a mainstream audience access to recognize the beauty and necessary power of the feminine — in the electronic music scene and every other area of modern culture.
Then it dawned on me. Women (plus female-identified and non-binary genders) are already occupying the forefront of this revolution, and many are doing a damn fine job. Men have an important role to play as well — using our resources and creativity to support the spaces for their voices to be heard.
You have likely heard the word privilege.
For a long time, I didn’t believe it meant anything other than a demand to “feel guilty.” As in, “I should feel guilty about growing up as a man even though I never had a choice in the matter.”
But that’s not what the word means. Privilege is about recognizing the ways that wealth, opportunity and oppression are systematically perpetuated, and taking steps to change the system. It’s about using your resources and wealth to support others, to shift culture, and to build more a more equitable world.
Amplify Her is one attempt to shift culture through the stories of these powerful and vulnerable women.
$20,000 is a modest sum for an endeavour of this potential. For some men, it’s a lot. For others, the entire amount is drop in the bucket.
Therefore, I am appealing to you, the man who is reading this: if you are inspired by this project please take a real moment and reflect upon your capacity to be of service. I’m asking you to harness the wealth of your time, your network, and your financial resources to help us reach our funding goal.
And if not this project, then I appeal to you to explore the areas of your life where you can support the voices and power of women. In the boardroom. In the nightclub. In your own circles.
Not because you are a Hero and women need to be “saved.” But because you have the capacity to be a true Ally, in partnership for the new culture that is coming. As Charles Eisenstein has said: this is the more beautiful world our hearts know is possible.
And men are not diminished by this support. In fact, the rise of the feminine allows us to reclaim the gifts of masculinity— one that is diverse, grounded, and once again tethered to the continuation of life.
May this shift start, or quicken, now with you.
Please contribute here. The campaign ends Oct 24th at midnight.
With fierce love,
Ian MacKenzie
