The 619 Creative
When We Dance:
The Thread Back Home
A FEATURE DOCUMENTARY BY ATHENA HIOTIS
WHY THIS PROJECT?
There is something about Greek folk dancing that connects the diaspora to its heritage unlike anything else. Maybe it's history, the memory of a loved one, or even the thrill of performing at your local Greek festival. Either way, it's an inseparable part of who we are, both as individuals and as a community.
"When We Dance: The Thread Back Home" will be the first full-length documentary to explore this connection and it's a responsibility we take seriously. We're speaking with community members across four generations, dance instructors, and researchers from different parts of North America, listening to their stories and experiences, while also learning how history, geography, and decades of diaspora life have all shaped the dances that bring us together.
Your support will help us tell this story and share it with the world, both within our community and far beyond it.
Below you'll find our proof of concept and pitch deck where you can read more details on our timeline and plan. The pitch deck is updated after major milestones.
Please reach out directly if you'd like any more information regarding our production, including financials.
Athena Hiotis
Director/Writer
Donate to "When We Dance"
Every single dollar goes toward making this dream a reality. Your donation goes straight into our main production fund so we can get this movie made. Each suggested amount gives an example of what that specific figure would cover on our set. If you would rather pitch in a different amount, you can use the custom box below.
If you prefer to donate directly via check, please email us at the619creative@gmail.com.
$138.92 raised
92 days left!
1%
Equates to 1 day's expendables & power management (media cards, gaffer tape, & batteries)
$50
Equates to 1 full day of crew catering & craft services
$100
Equates to a half-day specialized crew rate (Sound Mixer, Gaffer, or First AC)
$250
Equates to a full-day specialized crew rate
$500
Equates to a post-production translation block to make sure captions are accurate
$1,000
Equates to global festival submission strategies & theatrical master delivery formatting (DCP)
$2,500
Equates to 1 complete master shoot day (including filming permits & equipment packages)
$5,000
Other
Equates to 1 day's expendables & power management (media cards, gaffer tape, & batteries)
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HELLENIC PERFORMING
ARTS FOUNDATION
The Hellenic Performing Arts Foundation (HPAF) is a national nonprofit dedicated to keeping Greek folk traditions alive, not just as memories, but as living, practiced culture.
Through educational programs, archival research, oral history projects, and cultural events, HPAF is building the infrastructure needed to pass these traditions on to future generations, both in Greece and across the global diaspora.
They are currently expanding their platform and actively welcoming new partners and supporters who share this vision.
If you'd like to learn a bit more about HPAF, please visit them at https://www.hellenicperformingarts.org/
OUR SHARED MISSION.
Greek traditional dance is not simply a performance. It is a living thread connecting generations, geographies, and identities. This documentary is based on that belief and it's why our partnership with the Hellenic Performing Arts Foundation feels so natural.
HPAF believes in giving traditions like these what they deserve: a place where they are documented, taught, and transmitted rather than quietly forgotten. Our film does the same work through a different lens.
Together, we share the conviction that the Greek diaspora's cultural heritage is worth protecting, worth celebrating, and worth sharing with the world.
Donations made through HPAF directly advances that mission.
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