The movie KIDS has resonated in the collective consciousness for more than twenty years, not just because of the controversial issues it addressed–HIV, teen sex, teen drug use–but also because of the authenticity in which those topics were covered. Many of its stars were first time actors and they fully embodied the New York peers they were portraying. In some instances, the kids who inspired the KIDS actually participated in the film. Other characters were based on youths director Larry Clark had met. In a recent Rolling Stone oral history of the film, Clark said “a lot of the characters were loosely based on people that [screenwriter] Harmony [Korine] and I knew. When we cast the film, we used a lot of people, like Justin and Harold, who the characters were based on.” The movie also covered true events. “Everything in the film had happened [in real life], except for Jennie,” stated Clark.

As we reported last year, a documentary has been in the works since 2006 to tell the real stories of the kids on which KIDS was based, from their perspective. The film, simply titled The Kids, is in pre-production and has a trailer, but its producers are seeking funding to complete the production. To secure their goal of raising $81,000 by September 10, 2015, they have launched a Kickstarter campaign.

The Kickstarter page says “The Kids is an all-access documentary about the real life individuals who inspired Larry Clark’s 1995 cult classic film Kids. Our film, currently in pre-production, will capture the formative, vital, and at times traumatic emotional magnitude that the kids from Kids experienced before, during, and after the film’s inception and global success. We’ll not only highlight how various cultural displays of inner turmoil manifested as they did, but also celebrate the 1990s: the dying breath of old New York. This is the unprecedented look at the real life stories behind Kids, being made from the inside out because we are, in fact, THE KIDS.”

The description goes on to state that Larry Clark supports the documentary and, with his help, The Kids “will weave together never-before-seen archival material from the ‘80s and ‘90s with intimate, present-day interviews featuring the core cast of characters from Kids.”

Here is a video that gives more detail about the film’s fundraising needs, as well as a trailer showing what to expect from the documentary. To donate, click here.

Related: ‘Kids’ Turns 20 Today & Still Has Plenty of Surprises in its History