Film Financing: How Your Favorite Movies Make it to the Big Screen
Why Film Financing Is Broken — and How We're Changing It
For decades, filmmakers have been forced to navigate a broken system to bring their stories to life. Studio funding comes with strings attached. Grants are slow and inaccessible. Crowdfunding platforms are clunky and often built for gadgets, not films.
For independent creators, the path is risky: dip into savings, ask great aunts for help, and sacrifice creative control just to get something made.
This isn't how great films should be made. It's not how great stories should begin.
The Blair Witch Project: Small Beginnings and Large Outcomes
In 1997, three filmmakers made a low-budget horror film for just $60,000. They had no studio, no stars, and no marketing budget. But what they did have was a bold idea, relentless resourcefulness, and a growing community of people who believed in what they were building.
The Blair Witch Project went on to gross nearly $250 million globally. It became a cultural phenomenon—and a shining example of what’s possible when a story connects with people at the right time, in the right way.
The reality is that not everyone can raise $60,000, and we are trying to break that barrier of entry.
At FilmRaise, we believe the next generation of iconic films will be powered the same way: through creators with vision, and communities that believe in them early.
Traditional Funding Models Are Failing Creators
The current system leaves too many filmmakers behind. Studios want proven formulas that result in the same movies being created. Crowdfunding platforms often feel very one-sided. People donate, and the interaction largely stops at that point.
It’s an outdated structure that makes it nearly impossible for new voices to break through.
A Smarter, Creator-Centered Model
FilmRaise was built to offer something better.
It’s a platform where:
Filmmakers raise money by offering tiered digital tokens tied to real experiences—behind-the-scenes access, premiere invites, creative perks, and more.
Fans support projects they care about and receive digital tokens as proof of their involvement and access.
Tokens hold unique experiences, not just a one-time transaction. Tokens are the key to unique benefits like Meet and Greets, Set visits, and VIP Parties.
This is not about speculation or hype. It’s about building direct relationships between creators and backers. It's about community ownership in culture. Fans can list their token for sale or buy tokens on a secondary marketplace, when they want to be a part of a different project.
Join Us
We’re launching in Summer 2025.
Whether you’re a filmmaker, a fan, or someone who believes in great stories, FilmRaise is for you.