Walking in to the Trane Studio on Bathurst last night, I was very much of two minds. The event was a fund raiser for A Love Supreme, the new film co-directed by Bruce McDonald and Peter Lynch, and the fact that they needed to raise funds was the cause of my split thoughts.

On the one side, the event - charged with a loose, casual atmosphere and populated by local jazz musicians and hip hop artists - was very much in keeping with the spirit of the film itself. It was a community event for a community film, a project begun a full three years ago in part as a "love letter" to Toronto's Little Italy and in that context offering up the chance for the community to become directly involved is something pretty special.

On the other side, what on earth is wrong with the film industry in Canada when a pair of film makers as high profile as Lynch and McDonald need to fund their latest (very low budget) effort fifty bucks at a time? That so many people care enough about the film makers and their film to pay that is an amazing thing. That Lynch and McDonald need to ask them to is considerably less so.

But I digress.The film itself is based on a novel by Kent Nussey and fueled by a love for jazz and Little Italy. And - being made up dominantly of a series of still photos laid out in sequence - it'll also challenge a good number of people's concept of what a film is, unless of course those people are fans of Chris Marker, whose La Jetee both Lynch and McDonald acknowledge as a major influence on this piece. The pair have been working collaboratively on the project in between work on their other - presumably more lucrative - projects, snapping photos both together and separately as time allows, slowly piecing this very personal project together. And the images - at least the ones included in the several minutes of completed footage shown at the event - are nothing short of gorgeous.

So, what to do if you want to see this thing? How about helping them finish it? The pair estimate that they need to shoot another ten thousand still photos to complete the project and then need funding to take it through the post-production process, which brings us to the title of this post. Ever wanted to be part of making a film. Here's your chance. A Love Supreme is accepting both donations and investments in the film. Give them two hundred and fifty bucks and you get a thank you credit in the finished film itself. Give them a grand and you become an official executive producer. And there are worse ways in life to spend a grand than that. For more info just check out the film's Facebook page.