Film / homelessness
Lockdown film project explores the effect of pandemic on rough sleepers
One Easton filmmaker has spent lockdown helping some of Bristol’s homeless population document the coronavirus pandemic from their perspective.
“In Bristol, over 300 people experiencing homelessness – and more than 14,500 nationwide – have been accommodated in hotels, with many more people stuck in temporary accommodation,” says Owain, who wanted to challenge misconceptions about homelessness.
“This project aims to raise awareness around how coronavirus has disproportionately affected people experiencing homelessness, how it’s actually had a positive impact in many cases, and what people need in order to be able to move on from this crisis and into more stable housing and lives.
“Over a series of weeks, we’re working with various people experiencing homelessness around the UK to create video content around their experiences of the Covid-19 crisis – entirely filmed by them, all on smartphone.”
Owain decided to have participants film themselves, so they could have control over their own narratives.
“Too often, films and visual content have a voyeuristic or fetishistic perspective, where someone without lived experience intrudes on the lives of others for the sake of creating interesting content. By people telling their own stories, we can challenge that.”
Main photo by Owain Astles
Read more: Food delivery service will provide restaurant-quality meals for the homeless
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