How do the day-to-day economics of our lives shape the character of our communities and our relationships with each other?

This has become one of the defining questions of our current historical moment.

RAINMAKERS is a film about everyday people in the Pacific Northwest who are trying to improve their communities by re-imagining their own economic practices. This film documents an unfolding history in the personal stories of our neighbors - folks who are grappling with big questions about money.

You'll meet a boy from Eritrea who becomes CEO for the day in his fifth grade class. You'll hear from community currency practitioners who have congregated in Seattle from all over the world to design a replacement for greenbacks. You'll step inside the home of 12 friends who share their paychecks in equal portions. You'll spend an evening in a church basement with African American business owners who believe that buying local will transform their cultural legacy. You'll settle into an after-hours discussion about how voluntary simplicity can help make sense of tough economic times. You'll witness the Coast Salish gift-economy known as potlatch. And more.

The individuals profiled in this documentary represent varying cultural backgrounds, political perspectives, and positions in life and do not share a singular point of view. What they have in common is an interest in how their economic decisions affect their communities. They've each made a unique commitment that puts their economic values to the test in a larger social context.

Through the juxtaposition of these stories, RAINMAKERS delves into the profoundly human dilemma of how we weigh our needs and wants against our fears of scarcity, our sense of moral obligation to others, and the promised benefits of community wealth.

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This project was created entirely by volunteer efforts with support from: