The five minute short film, Building Magic, which follows NYC street performer Mario the Magician, is being developed into an hour long documentary.
Kal, the director behind the film, and Katie, Mario’s wife, are asking for donations via KickStarter.com in order make the feature documentary possible. They hope that the full-length film will expand on the five minute short by exploring Mario’s pre-magician days, when he sought to find himself by hitchhiking across the United States.
The original five minute short film, which you can find below, was selected for the DC Shorts Film Festival, and received a perfect score of 100 from all three admission judges.
One judge commented, “It is highly creative, well done and keeps your interest throughout the film. Definitely a magical film!”
In the short, viewers watch Mario the Magician delight NYC children with his old-time street show, from which he earns his livelihood. He hand makes his own props from scratch, carrying them in the small suitcase that contains all of his traveling show.
“It becomes like music or any other art field, where you want to create your own,” Mario explains in the short. “I’ve spent hours building, practicing, honing, inventing, adapting – but in reality Mario the Magician is the creation of every child I’ve ever performed for.”
Kal and Katie hope to raise $35,000 to make their dream of a Building Magic full length feature a reality.