Synopsis
DOORWAYS TO DIGNITY is a classic American tale of a mistreated group of citizens fleeing persecution, and working together to achieve their dreams of founding a safe haven, a “micro-town” built on democracy and the fundamental drive for a place to belong. More than two centuries after the founding of this great nation, these new American visionaries just happen to be homeless.
DOORWAYS TO DIGNITY is a feature-length documentary that spans a decade at Dignity Village, a community of homeless people in Portland, Oregon that began as a loose collection of tents under a bridge, a bold attempt to escape the cruelties of survival on the streets. With no available shelter, and constantly harassed by police, this small group of homeless revolutionaries decided to take matters into their own hands and form their own micro-town, with typical American bootstrap independence. Two years later, Dignity Village became a registered non-profit; it continues to be run solely by homeless people as a self-governed, democratic community. Like any American city, Dignity Village has a council and a system of departments, from Trash and Sanitation, to Sustainable Enterprises, that work together to manage and develop the community. It is a transitional home for 60 individuals or couples (and pets) who live in single-room micro-houses built by the community themselves from recycled materials.
But their successes did not come easily. The film begins at the start of the new millennium, from the rain-filled gutters where homeless people are swept from the streets of downtown to a cluster of tents huddling in the shadow of rotting leaf-piles in a corner of the city’s compost yard, beneath the roar of jet engines from the airport next door. Rising up from the gutters of America, six homeless visionaries throw off the shackles of poverty and help each other reclaim their lives and homes. The film reveals the homeless community’s intense struggle to overcome prejudice and despair as they attempt to create a haven for homeless citizens to get back on their feet. Gaye, an elderly woman in a wheelchair, provides biting commentary as the young community suffers setbacks and celebrates successes. We follow the stories of a soft-spoken Rastafarian, a radical young preacher's son, a black Muslim former gang member, and a middle-aged couple who kick their addictions and fall in love. Shot in verité style, the film offers a glimpse of the human drama surrounding a handful of characters as they pursue their own American dream despite overwhelming obstacles.
DOORWAYS TO DIGNITY is a feature-length documentary that spans a decade at Dignity Village, a community of homeless people in Portland, Oregon that began as a loose collection of tents under a bridge, a bold attempt to escape the cruelties of survival on the streets. With no available shelter, and constantly harassed by police, this small group of homeless revolutionaries decided to take matters into their own hands and form their own micro-town, with typical American bootstrap independence. Two years later, Dignity Village became a registered non-profit; it continues to be run solely by homeless people as a self-governed, democratic community. Like any American city, Dignity Village has a council and a system of departments, from Trash and Sanitation, to Sustainable Enterprises, that work together to manage and develop the community. It is a transitional home for 60 individuals or couples (and pets) who live in single-room micro-houses built by the community themselves from recycled materials.
But their successes did not come easily. The film begins at the start of the new millennium, from the rain-filled gutters where homeless people are swept from the streets of downtown to a cluster of tents huddling in the shadow of rotting leaf-piles in a corner of the city’s compost yard, beneath the roar of jet engines from the airport next door. Rising up from the gutters of America, six homeless visionaries throw off the shackles of poverty and help each other reclaim their lives and homes. The film reveals the homeless community’s intense struggle to overcome prejudice and despair as they attempt to create a haven for homeless citizens to get back on their feet. Gaye, an elderly woman in a wheelchair, provides biting commentary as the young community suffers setbacks and celebrates successes. We follow the stories of a soft-spoken Rastafarian, a radical young preacher's son, a black Muslim former gang member, and a middle-aged couple who kick their addictions and fall in love. Shot in verité style, the film offers a glimpse of the human drama surrounding a handful of characters as they pursue their own American dream despite overwhelming obstacles.
Characters
Gaye Reyes
Christian former middle class homeowner
Jack Tafari
Rasta poet and writer and community organizer
Ibrahim Mubarak
Former gang member turned devout Muslim
JP Cupp
Atheist, young radical firebrand and preacher’s son
Timothy McCarthy
Gay Mormon with rural Oregon roots
Chrysler Chelle and Ross Bennett
Strong-willed survivors recovering from addiction
Film Crew
Since 1996, as President and co-founder of Kwamba Productions, Kohn has developed and produced more than 70 social-issue media products on global financial literacy, poverty, gender, women's health and wildlife conservation, among other topics. She has worked collaboratively with disenfranchised groups to use media to engage in social issues in a global context that promotes human rights and positive social change. Wendy also directed and/or produced social issue feature documentaries, including A QUESTION OF FREEDOM (2004) and QUEENS OF HEART: COMMUNITY THERAPISTS IN DRAG (2006).
Since 2000, Mosher has been a leading partner at Kwamba, shifting the company towards a social issue focus. Heather is nearing completion of her PhD at Portland State University in Systems Science-Social/Community Psychology. Her PhD research utilizes media to empower those in the margins, connecting people across diverse ethnicities, classes, and religions. Heather has found innovative ways to integrate social psychology, community-based research and media in addressing issues of poverty, homelessness, gender, and sexuality. In addition to her community research and educational media production, she has also co-directed the feature documentary, A QUESTION OF FREEDOM (2004) and was director of photography on QUEENS OF HEART: COMMUNITY THERAPISTS IN DRAG (2006).
Greg Snider's filmmaking work includes editing THE REAL DIRT ON FARMER JOHN, winner of the Audience Award for Best Documentary at the Slamdance Film Festival and the Grand Jury Award at the San Francisco Int'l Film Festival, 2005. THE REAL DIRT ON FARMER JOHN received US theatrical distribution and aired nationally on PBS' Independent Lens, 2006. Greg also edited the feature documentary PURVIS OF OVERTOWN, winner of the Best Documentary Award at the Florida Film Festival and the San Luis Obispo International Film Festival. Greg's directorial debut documentary, RIDIN' & RHYMIN', about cowgirl poet Georgie Sicking, won the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival's Big Sky Award and aired on Oregon and Wyoming PBS during 2006. Snider is currently editing the documentary features FACING THE STORM, A History of American Bison, for High Plains Films; and HOW TO DIE IN OREGON, about Oregon’s Death with Dignity law, for Clearcut Productions.
Odgen is an award-winning film composer for over twenty feature films including THE SENSEI, DREAMS ON SPECT, IN THE EYES OF A KILLER, and THE WAY HOME directed by Lance Dreesen. Most recently, Deane’s music is featured in the Touchstone Pictures summer blockbuster SURROGATES, starring Bruce Willis, Radha Mitchell, and Ving Rhames. Deane has also written countless hours of music for hit network television, including orchestral themes for Michael Phelp’s record-breaking gold medal run during the 2008 Olympic Games, the most-viewed event in American television history. Ogden also composed music for Emmy-winning series Survivor, LAX, The Apprentice, Exploration with Richard Wiese, and The Wire on HBO. Deane is the founder of SCOREcast, the immensely popular internet podcast and webzine which focuses on the art and business of writing music for film and TV. He also authors the monthly column Music Industry Mash-Up.
About the Production
Filmmakers Kohn and Mosher have worked closely with the community since 2001, collecting more than 500 hours of footage, photos, and archival papers.
In the spirit of do-it-yourself independence and pride that typifies Dignity Village, the filmmakers gave a camcorder to the Village and taught them the basics of filmmaking, providing them with the tools to document their own journeys in reclaiming their lives. Villagers shot about 70 hours of video, and the filmmakers obtained roughly thirty hours of archival footage from local community organizers who covered events during the first six months of the group’s formation. The directors shot the majority of footage on professional DV cameras using a cinema-verité style, and interspersed this with the archival camcorder footage to create a gritty, grassroots film that draws viewers directly into the realities and struggles of this community. Organic street and village sounds woven in the music soundscape will bring viewers viscerally into the story.
In the spirit of do-it-yourself independence and pride that typifies Dignity Village, the filmmakers gave a camcorder to the Village and taught them the basics of filmmaking, providing them with the tools to document their own journeys in reclaiming their lives. Villagers shot about 70 hours of video, and the filmmakers obtained roughly thirty hours of archival footage from local community organizers who covered events during the first six months of the group’s formation. The directors shot the majority of footage on professional DV cameras using a cinema-verité style, and interspersed this with the archival camcorder footage to create a gritty, grassroots film that draws viewers directly into the realities and struggles of this community. Organic street and village sounds woven in the music soundscape will bring viewers viscerally into the story.
The Need for this Film
As the economy remains stagnant and job losses continue to climb, now is the time for the film DOORWAYS TO DIGNITY to be told. In these anxious times, more and more people now stare directly at the face of homelessness, knowing they themselves may only be steps away.
But this is not just one more film on homelessness. DOORWAYS TO DIGNITY is about living the American dream of freedom, justice and democracy. It’s about a tiny group of citizens who demonstrate that some of the best solutions to society's most intractable problems can come from the bottom up. DOORWAYS TO DIGNITY is about the basic ideals of our nation, about citizens struggling to achieve success against all odds, and showing us that anything is possible with a little hope and a lot of determination.
The documentary dives deep into the conflict surrounding the creation and growth of Dignity Village, probing the reasons and results of this unique social experiment. The film is part of a broader social movement, "Golden Door," to promote human right to housing and the inclusion of participation by all citizens in the development of their nation.
Golden Door is a grassroots effort to rally Americans to pursue dignity and freedom in US policies to end homelessness. This campaign urges local and national governments to reclaim its long-standing commitment of human rights and civic participation as a guiding principle in the development, and change, of policies to end homelessness.
In the wealthiest country in the world, several million people cannot afford housing for themselves or their families. Without shelter from the elements, homeless people do what any desperate person would do: find a blanket, a tarp, a bush, or a bridge, and try to get sleep and a measure of warmth. Yet, to perform this very act, even to survive, is considered “camping” which is a crime in most cities across the US. As a result, people who are left to sleep on the streets are forced to keep moving throughout the city all night or risk getting fined or sent to jail. Under these conditions, people lose hope as their efforts to better their condition is thwarted by an overburdened and demoralizing system of care. Everybody deserves the opportunity and freedom to survive and pursue their potential. Our local and national policies should reflect this fundament and historic American value.
This documentary and grassroots campaign is not about creating “tent cities” everywhere. It supports what is at the heart of tent cities: the struggle to reclaim lives and a home, a place with privacy and community, a sense of belonging and some control over their lives by having the opportunity and freedom to pursue their potential. The movement is about creating innovative solutions to homelessness that integrates top-down ideas with bottom-up humane and pragmatic practices.
But this is not just one more film on homelessness. DOORWAYS TO DIGNITY is about living the American dream of freedom, justice and democracy. It’s about a tiny group of citizens who demonstrate that some of the best solutions to society's most intractable problems can come from the bottom up. DOORWAYS TO DIGNITY is about the basic ideals of our nation, about citizens struggling to achieve success against all odds, and showing us that anything is possible with a little hope and a lot of determination.
The documentary dives deep into the conflict surrounding the creation and growth of Dignity Village, probing the reasons and results of this unique social experiment. The film is part of a broader social movement, "Golden Door," to promote human right to housing and the inclusion of participation by all citizens in the development of their nation.
Golden Door is a grassroots effort to rally Americans to pursue dignity and freedom in US policies to end homelessness. This campaign urges local and national governments to reclaim its long-standing commitment of human rights and civic participation as a guiding principle in the development, and change, of policies to end homelessness.
In the wealthiest country in the world, several million people cannot afford housing for themselves or their families. Without shelter from the elements, homeless people do what any desperate person would do: find a blanket, a tarp, a bush, or a bridge, and try to get sleep and a measure of warmth. Yet, to perform this very act, even to survive, is considered “camping” which is a crime in most cities across the US. As a result, people who are left to sleep on the streets are forced to keep moving throughout the city all night or risk getting fined or sent to jail. Under these conditions, people lose hope as their efforts to better their condition is thwarted by an overburdened and demoralizing system of care. Everybody deserves the opportunity and freedom to survive and pursue their potential. Our local and national policies should reflect this fundament and historic American value.
This documentary and grassroots campaign is not about creating “tent cities” everywhere. It supports what is at the heart of tent cities: the struggle to reclaim lives and a home, a place with privacy and community, a sense of belonging and some control over their lives by having the opportunity and freedom to pursue their potential. The movement is about creating innovative solutions to homelessness that integrates top-down ideas with bottom-up humane and pragmatic practices.
Support the Film
Help make this movie and advance the human right to housing!
DOORWAYS TO DIGNITY is part of a broader social movement, "Golden Door", to promote dignity and human right to housing. This Golden Door campaign urges local and national governments to reclaim its long-standing commitment of human rights and civic participation as a guiding principle in the development, and change, of policies to end homelessness.
Fiscal sponsorship for DOORWAYS TO DIGNITY is provided by the International Documentary Association, a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization.
**All donations are tax deductible.**
CHECK DONATION:
To contribute to this important project, checks can be made payable to IDA (International Documentary Association). Very important: You MUST write “Doorways to Dignity” on the memo line of the check.
Mail checks to:
International Documentary Association (or IDA)
Attention: Fiscal Sponsorship Coordinator
1201 West 5th Street, Suite M320
Los Angeles, CA 90017
ONLINE DONATION/PayPal:
Please click on the following link to donate using credit card via PayPal:
http://www.documentary.org/community/IDA-resources/fiscal_sponsorship_donate?film_id=3317
DOORWAYS TO DIGNITY is part of a broader social movement, "Golden Door", to promote dignity and human right to housing. This Golden Door campaign urges local and national governments to reclaim its long-standing commitment of human rights and civic participation as a guiding principle in the development, and change, of policies to end homelessness.
Fiscal sponsorship for DOORWAYS TO DIGNITY is provided by the International Documentary Association, a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization.
**All donations are tax deductible.**
CHECK DONATION:
To contribute to this important project, checks can be made payable to IDA (International Documentary Association). Very important: You MUST write “Doorways to Dignity” on the memo line of the check.
Mail checks to:
International Documentary Association (or IDA)
Attention: Fiscal Sponsorship Coordinator
1201 West 5th Street, Suite M320
Los Angeles, CA 90017
ONLINE DONATION/PayPal:
Please click on the following link to donate using credit card via PayPal:
http://www.documentary.org/community/IDA-resources/fiscal_sponsorship_donate?film_id=3317
