Phil Borges exceeds $75K Kickstarter goal for "CRAZYWISE" film

SEATTLE - June 18, 2014 - PRLog -- Filmmakers Phil Borges and Kevin Tomlinson have exceeded the fundraising goal of a $75,000 Kickstarter campaign for "CRAZYWISE: Rethinking Madness" -- a documentary that uses Borges' experience with shamans and indigenous cultures to explore alternative approaches to mental illness diagnosis and treatment.

More than 500 people have backed the Kickstarter project so far, with pledges totaling $78,684.

The campaign ends this Friday, June 20 at midnight Pacific Time.

The filmmakers yesterday announced a "Stretch Goal" of $95,000 total to cover additional production and post costs including sound design, color correction, archival photos and footage licensing.

Borges wrote a guest column for Mad In America this week titled "A Look at Madness Through the Lens of Culture." http://www.madinamerica.com/2014/06/look-madness-lens-culture/

An extended trailer and additional information are on the "CRAZYWISE" Kickstarter page: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/829396017/crazywise-rethinking-madness-a-documentary-film

ABOUT THE FILM

A 20-year fascination with shamanism leads photographer and filmmaker Phil Borges to question how Western culture defines and treats severe mental disorders. Borges meets Adam Gentry, a former wakeboard champion who has struggled with mental health issues and pharmaceutical treatments, opting to experiment with alternative treatment methods.

Realizing the severity of the mental health crisis in America, Borges sets out to explore a new mental health movement led by renowned doctors, survivors and activists. He and Tomlinson conducted interviews with more than 35 experts including Robert Whitaker, Gabor Mate, M.D., Mary Olson, Ph.D., E. Fuller Torrey, M.D., Will Hall, M.A. Dipl.PW, and Sandra Ingerman, M.A., in an attempt to understand what methods may help diagnose and treat patients in the future.

In the wake of recent mass shootings in Seattle and Santa Barbara, many experts have wonderedwhether these tragedies could be prevented or mitigated by increasing our mental health focus in America. View the 60 Minutes piece here: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/untreated-mental-illness-an-i...

The common thread appears to be undiagnosed or untreated mental illness in the shooters.

* 1 in 5 Americans will suffer a psychological crisis in their lifetimes.

* 75% of crises occur before the age of 24.

* Psychopharmaceuricals spending increased from $500 million in 1988 to $40 billion in 2008.

* The number of people on mental disability insurance went from 1.25 million in 1988 to 4 million in 2008.

* Source: National Institute of Mental Health

The mission statement of "CRAZYWISE" embodies the need for additional education and community treatment resources for those struggling with mental health issues.

The extended "CRAZYWISE" trailer is streaming and embeddable on the film's official YouTube Channel, where the filmmakers have released more than a dozen extended expert interviews and bonus features: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9yq8Z0q-3XAjNKcRxOpAPA

Please direct media inquiries to the contacts listed at the top of this release. Directors Phil Borges and Kevin Tomlinson are available for interviews.

Learn more at http://crazywisefilm.com.

ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS

Phil Borges - Social Documentary Photographer and Filmmaker

For more than 25 years, Phil Borges has been documenting indigenous and tribal cultures, striving to create an understanding of the challenges they face. His work is exhibited in museums and galleries worldwide, and his award winning books have been published in four languages. Borges has hosted television documentaries on indigenous cultures for Discovery and National Geographic. As an experienced lecturer, he has spoken at multiple TED talks, including TED in 2007, TEDxRainier in 2012 and TEDxUMKC in 2013. Borges directed 13 short documentaries between 2004-2012 focusing on gender issues around the world for UN Women, CARE, ReSurge, joinFITE, Foundation for Women and One Heart.

Kevin Tomlinson - Producer, Director and Cinematographer

Kevin Tomlinson has earned numerous Emmy and Telly Awards for his network news camerawork with NBC, ABC, CBS, PBS and Discovery. He has worked with clients ranging from Microsoft, The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Ford, Cineplex Odeon to Nickelodeon and the Nationally broadcast PBS series, "Travels in Europe" with Rick Steves. Tomlinson directed and co-produced the award-winning feature documentary "Back to the Garden," which premiered at SIFF (2009) and played at more 30 international film festivals, airing both locally and nationally on PBS.