A group of filmmakers in Moncton are turning their cameras onto some of the city’s less fortunate.
They’re creating a documentary called ‘Tent City,’ which highlights people’s journeys into homelessness, and what life is like living at the site of a tent city.
“This is a human story. There are homeless people all around the world and there are tent cities all around the world,” said one of the film producers, Colleen Furlotte.
The New Brunswick filmmaker and her colleagues, John Maher and Ryan Wood, spent the last few weeks documenting life at this tent city, a place where dozens of people who are homeless have built their own community
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“It is a snapshot of what is happening in our community, but it is a global issue and the need for increased compassion and increased understanding is a global need,” said Furlotte
The half hour documentary highlights the lives of people who tend to shy away from the camera, but were willing to openly share with the film crew what their lives are like living in the rough.
“It’s a place where people can come and be accepted no matter what you are,” said a character in the documentary.
Furlotte said she wanted to make the film to raise awareness, and was inspired after she and Maher volunteered at the Humanity Project, a non-profit organization in Moncton, which helps people who are homeless.
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“I wanted people to know who these people are because there is so much judgement, so much stigma.”
She said she wants people to see that the people living in the tent city are human beings who feel love, experience laughter and feel pain.
“When you hear some of the stories of how people ended up there you realize you know that it is a possibility,” that homelessness can happen to anyone Furlotte said.
According to Raise the Roof Canada, 235,000 people in Canada experience homelessness ever year.
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Maher, the audio technician for the documentary, said the film reveals some burning questions, like why some with access to local shelters choose to live in tent cities instead.
“People don’t want to stay in the shelters all the time. There are reasons for that and it’s pretty enlightening to find that out,” said Maher.
The experience was also a real eye opener for the cinematographer, Ryan Wood.
“I did go in there with some fears and pre-judgments that I think anyone would, not knowing what is in there and when I came out of there I realized that these folks are just people.”
Tent City will be released on Youtube this coming Sunday.