Our fiscal sponsor, Fractured Atlas, is distributing $1,000 to 20 different projects for their annual Spring Match campaign. Every donation, however small, that you make to our documentary between Monday, April 15 and Friday, April 19 equals one extra chance for us to receive the $1k, so I'm here to ask for your support!
We’re adding a VERY special incentive for this, too. For every dollar donated during this week, you’ll receive an entry for the chance to win an original MAD MAX: BEYOND THUNDERDOME poster from Richard Amsel’s own personal collection!
UPDATE: But instead of giving away just one poster, I'm going to give away TWO! One recipient will be chosen at random, while the other will go to whoever makes the highest donation between now and April 19th!
And to be absolutely clear: Amsel once owned these posters himself. Here’s the history behind them…
In the summer of 1985, Richard Amsel created the poster for MAD MAX: BEYOND THUNDERDOME. It would be his last finished poster before his death later that November.
Warner Bros. provided Amsel with a number full-size posters, which he kept rolled up within a paper tube, and stored inside his Los Angeles apartment. (Amsel lived at 7250 Fountain Ave., right down the street from the iconic Magic Castle.)
Following Amsel’s death, his good friend, artist David Edward Byrd, had the sad task of cleaning out Amsel’s apartment. Byrd found this roll of posters and held onto them for almost 39 years.
On April 11, 2024 – Byrd’s last day in Los Angeles before moving to New Mexico – he generously gifted these posters to me, to use as fundraising incentives for the documentary.
Pictured: David Byrd and Jolino Beserra, in David's Los Angeles studio.
I took this photo the day before David moved to New Mexico.
Hidden away for nearly four decades, these original posters represent a rare opportunity for donors to own a part of Richard Amsel’s personal collection – and artwork that displays a master illustrator at the height of his powers. While Amsel did not sign them, each poster comes with a letter of authenticity to verify they were part of his collection. As these are original posters from 1985 and are not reprints, they have some minor wear.
The winning recipient’s name will be drawn at random during a live streaming video, at the close of the donation period.
Click here to make a donation of any amount to improve our odds, and be sure to share our fundraiser far and wide—every donation counts!
It's still a critical time for the project. We're knee-deep in post production, but will need to make at least one more trip to the east coast in the coming months to film critical interviews. Your support will make that happen!
We also have a limited number of these posters available on our Fractured Atlas general support donation page, so if you don't win our giveaway, you still have the option of obtaining one by donating.
Another new THANK YOU reward that's available is the option to receive a print on canvas, as well as paper! (Due to the size and expense of shipping, however, canvas prints will only be available to recipients in the United States.)
Fractured Atlas is a non-profit arts service organization. Contributions for the charitable purposes of AMSEL: ILLUSTRATOR OF THE LOST ART are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law.