Documentary short ‘Inocente’ becomes first Kickstarter funded Oscar winner

Inocente, the documentary short about a homeless teenage girl in San Diego, made Oscar history last night. It was the first project to win that was funded from Kickstarter donations. The directors, Andrea Nix and Sean Fine, made a point of thanking the fundraising site.

The Associated Press notes that Inocente was funded by 300 people who donated $52,000 towards the making of the film. “It's a great new outlet for films, and especially for documentary films,” Fine told reporters after the show, adding that it helped drive interest in the project in the community.

“We were kind of three-quarters done with the film, and we were trying to find more money to make the film, and we decided to do something with Kickstarter with our producers, and it really helped,” Fine explained to The Wall Street Journal.

According to People, the 40-minute film’s subject is a talented teenager who immediately impressed the filmmakers.

“The first time we laid eyes on her, we knew we wanted to tell her story,” Nix and Fine told People before the Oscars. “She had just finished painting and she was covered in paint and her face was painted with hearts. She literally looked like a rainbow with legs.”

When they accepted the award, they brought Inocente onstage with them.

Kickstarter has become a great way for filmmakers to raise funds for their projects. Most recently, producers for The Canyons, the upcoming Lindsay Lohan film, raised $160,000 for production. It will be released by IFC Films.

As for Inocente, it is available for download on iTunes to rent for $3.99.