Abundant
Why is it so difficult for some people to give so little and so easy for others to give so much? Abundant explores these questions by entering the world of extreme altruism: non-directed kidney donation. These rare individuals give kidneys away to complete strangers.
Through personal stories and interviews with nationally acclaimed experts, Abundant explores how our culture struggles with abundance and what we can do to become more altruistic as a community.
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Donald GriswoldDirector
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Donald GriswoldWriter
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Donald GriswoldProducer
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Laurie LeeProducer
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Project Type:Documentary, Feature
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Genres:Expository, Cultural, Participatory
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Runtime:1 hour 55 minutes 21 seconds
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Completion Date:September 13, 2024
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Production Budget:548,000 USD
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Country of Origin:United States
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Country of Filming:United States
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Language:English
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Shooting Format:RED
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Aspect Ratio:17:9
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Film Color:Color
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First-time Filmmaker:Yes
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Student Project:No
Donald has lived in the Dallas, Texas area most of his life. He graduated from the University of North Texas with a Bachelor of Arts in Radio, Television and Film, specializing in film writing. Donald has written and directed narrative, comedic and business scripts for video and audio. Donald’s experience includes writing, directing, and producing a wide range of video productions ranging from full-length DVD concepts to television commercials. He also has ghost written a memoir for a notable figure in the field of engineering.
Donald writes works of fiction and non-fiction, and he published his first novel, Dying Light in 2017. In 2018, Donald opened Maitri River Productions, a non-fiction media production business to make media that inspires social change. Abundant, a documentary on giving featuring our society’s most extreme altruists (non-directed kidney donors) is the first production of Maitri River Productions. Maitri River Productions has several productions in development that address topics such as dying in America and racial disparity in kidney donation.
As a storyteller, Donald has appeared in Oral Fixation, the critically acclaimed Dallas-based storytelling show. In 2015, his story for the show Push the Envelope was voted by the public as Best in Show, and he performed the story in the annual Best of Season show. Donald has also produced Word of Mouth, a live storytelling series that hosted shows in Dallas and Atlanta.
Donald is a long-time supporter of the arts in Dallas. He supports museums, local artists, and live performance, especially ShakespeareDallas.
Making Abundant has been a life-changing experience for me. While I may have provided the vision for the film, the overwhelming abundance and generosity of this unique community of kidney donors made the production possible. It’s been a humbling experience to know this incredibly generous community of givers literally gave me this opportunity to make my first feature film. The film was fully funded by crowdfunding, and I was handed this community’s full trust to make a film that would share the experience of being immersed in their world.
One of the most important characteristics of an abundant person is vulnerability. So, in developing the stories for the film, all aspects of production leaned into vulnerability to give the film an organic, genuine feel. This resulted in some great stories from production. The cast of storytellers were all amateurs appearing on the big stage for the first time. The storytellers and ensemble cast of dancers only had one day of rehearsal together. Even the highly experienced film production and theatrical crews were asked to shoot live without a technical rehearsal. I purposely asked all parties to proceed outside their comfort zones at risk of failure, relying on instinct and talent, to capture this vulnerability on film. And, while I am happy to say I think we did that, the real result was an incredible bonding and shared experience. Meaningful relationships were formed. This is another way producing and creating Abundant mirrors the experience of these extreme altruists’ world.
When I started developing Abundant, I only knew I had a compelling, sticky idea with enough depth for a feature documentary. The kidney donation community welcomed me into their world, openly allowing me to share the experience of the incredible way they see the world. After spending years with them, I came to know the only way to tell their story fully was to find a way to share the experience with the film’s audience. And when you watch Abundant, you’ll share the experience the same way these kidney donors shared it with me.