As homelessness in Los Angeles rises, a new generation of filmmakers have put pressure on local officials via documentaries that inspire popular action.

LOS ANGELES, CA, UNITED STATES, October 4, 2019 /EINPresswire.com/ -- As Los Angeles prepares to spend $336 million on new housing for its homeless population, and county executives pressure the state government to declare an emergency, a new generation of filmmakers have put pressure on local officials via documentaries that shine light on the crisis and inspire popular action.

Documentaries concerning homeslessness in Los Angeles are not new. Past films include Lost Angels by Thomas Napper, Homeless in Los Angeles by Taylor Golonka, and On the Streets by Lisa Biagiotti.

Most recently, Skid Row Marathon by Mark Hayes, and The Advocates by Rémi Kessler, have provided new perspectives on the subject. Both films follow individual concerned citizens as they fight against the systematic failures that have led to the crisis.

The Advocates, now available to stream for free on Amazon Prime, shows workers from HousingWorks, Monday Night Mission, and LA on Cloud 9, as they struggle to provide social, mental, and health services even after homeless individuals have been rehoused, a practice known as supportive housing.

Asked why he chose to make a film on the subject, The Advocates director Rémi Kessler noted that “the more I learned about homelessness and its causes, the less bias I had about it. The decision to make the film came when I realized I wanted to help, and this was the only way I know how.”

Beth Portello, head of marketing at Cinema Libre Studio, the distribution company behind The Advocates as well as Lost Angels, similarly noted that “the power of documentaries to affect change is tremendous. Rémi’s film has been screening across LA for the past year as part of United Way LA’s Everyone In campaign, forcing conversation about possible solutions at the neighborhood level. We hope other community task forces and those working towards homelessness prevention discover the film.”

Homeful LA, an activist branch of the Inner City Law Center that provides homeless services, is showing The Advocates on Friday, October 4 as part of their Weekend to End Homelessness, and Skid Row Marathon will be back in theaters for one night only on Monday, October 14.

Beth Portello
Cinema Libre Studio
+1 (818) 588-3033
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