Sacramento (Special to ZennieReport.com) – The Last time my long time friend Leslie Silver was featured in any Zennie62Media news output, it was five years ago to this date, and to talk with me live using Skype about a documentary she was working on called Sheltered Mercy, which focused on homelessness and mental illness in Sacramento. This time, Leslie is in the role of executive producer on a documentary with a focus on homelessness in Sacramento, called OUT HERE FILM.
About OUT HERE FILM, FilmFreeway says “Not long after the opening moments of OUT HERE it is clear that this is not your typical take on the homelessness crisis. Yes, we see shots of those makeshift tarped shelters under highways, beside rivers, and alongside parking lots – images to which many viewers have become desensitized. But soon we hear laughter and overhear a warm conversation as if between old friends.”
OUT HERE FILM is a story of redemption as social worker Mark, who has emerged from his troubled past, works to house his Sacramento neighbors. But, as we see Mark “piecing shit together” to get people off the streets, OUT HERE tells a larger story about how human connection and personal conviction can offer hope when policy and politics fail.
Mark, now a homeless and outreach coordinator, allows viewers to ride along and experience what he calls “my dream job for right now.”
Mark takes us along as he greets dozens of his unhoused neighbors across the city of Sacramento, the capital city of the nation’s wealthiest state.
He never loses sight of the person he is talking with, reminding us that “I’m dealing with real people.” Those “real people” include a gifted piano player struggling with addiction and a family of six who earn too much to qualify for federal assistance but too little to move out of their minivan.
OUT HERE provides viewers an honest and human look at homelessness to both better understand and talk about this complex problem.
The Crew Behind OUT HERE
Lisa Klein, Director
Lisa Klein is an award-winning director and writer dedicated to crafting engaging documentary films on social justice issues. In addition to OUT HERE, Her current projects include the documentary LIVING WIDE OPEN now in production, and an untitled project on child advocacy and early childhood development. (See Lisa’s IMDB page)
Leslie Silver, Producer
Leslie Silver is a clinical psychologist who began working with the unhoused more than thirty years ago as a social worker in New York City and San Francisco. Leslie witnessed the struggles of people experiencing homelessness – and the grossly insufficient services to help them—from a unique vantage point.
Doug Blush, Producer, Supervising Editor
Doug Blush is an award-winning director, producer, editor, writer and cinematographer whose work includes over 200 feature and television projects. He is a member of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) as well as the American Cinema Editors (ACE). Doug’s work includes four Academy Awards, and he’s won an Emmy, a Peabody, and the ACE Eddie Award. (See Doug’s IMDB page)
Josh Bayer is a writer, director, editor and cinematographer from West Bloomfield, Michigan. He graduated from the University of Michigan in 2011, wrote and directed an award-winning short film for Super Soaker in 2012, and then migrated to Los Angeles, where he has filmed and edited a steady slew of documentaries and narrative films.
Lou Douros is an award-winning, Emmy-nominated documentary producer and director who captures smart, strong narratives with cinematic clarity including IN THE WAKE OF GIANTS (2012). He uses everything in his toolbox from camera, light, lens, and design to shorten the distance between audience and story.
Isiah Hale is a cinematographer and editor from Davis, California. He has worked in videography, editing and production for a diverse range of clients including the Sacramento Kings, Pac-12 Sports, Sacramento Republic FC, Bogle Wine and Eskaton, head videographer and editor at Douglas Taylor Co., and as a production manager for Sacramento Educational Cable Consortium. He currently works as the director of creative video in the athletics department at Stanford University.
Kristina Calderon brings the perspective of someone who was previously unsheltered to the OUT HERE team. Kristina was unsheltered after she escaped domestic violence with her two children. Kristina has been housed and working for the California State Assembly for the last six years.
Pat Harris-DiLeva has over 20 years of event management experience, including stints as Promotions Director for the Los Angeles Marathon, Project Director of Perelman, Pioneer & Company, a Los Angeles-based event management firm that specializes in sports and entertainment, and Senior Director of Media Operations for the 2015 Special Olympics World Games.
Homeless Statistics In California
There are over 180,000 people experiencing homelessness in California.
California is home to 30% of the nation s known homeless population and half the nation’s known unsheltered population.
90% of the people experiencing homelessness in California lost their housing in California. 75% of them live in the same county where they first became homeless.
One third of people experiencing homelessness are families with children.
Lack of affordable housing
is the primary reason people find themselves homeless.
Domestic violence
is a primary cause of homelessness for women and families.
Most people experiencing homelessness report some
struggles with mental illness,
yet report no access to treatment.