Cleveland International Film Festival 2020 – Forest City Blues
Throughout 2019, 19 International Baccalaureate Film students at St. Edward captured the stories of the homeless in Cleveland, Ohio.
Started as an extended introduction to the greater Cleveland Labre Project--which aims to not only to feed those who experience homelessness, but to stoke fellowship--this documentary traces the candid and sometimes surprising stories of those who do not live "inside", and moves from there to a fuller exploration of what social mechanics in the city complicate citizens' attempts to be free of poverty and homelessness.
Features a licensed cover of Marvin Gaye's Inner City Blues (featuring vocalist Teon Smith and saxophone player Steven Banks).
Interview with Producer Nicholas Kuhar
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
As a response to our Campus Ministry's desire for more students to participate in the Labre Project.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
It challenges some basic paradigms about homelessness (and the journeys into and out of it).
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
It did take a long time for our student production teams to both finesse the interview questions and know when / how to deviate from that "safe" list to more organic conversation.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
Positive--our partners felt the doc captured the complexity of the issue.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
The sequel to this film would be a very different work of art--it'd be moved citizens within Cleveland donating their time to the unhoused. In a secondary capacity, it'd be to have St. Edward recognized as a premier high school for innovative arts.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
Distributors, press and civic leaders within Cleveland.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
What does a city owe to its unhoused citizens?
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
Ms Lydia Munnell--the new Chair of Film--has a group of IB Film students in pre-production for a short documentary on redlining in Cleveland.
Interview: May 2020
We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series, music video, women's films, LGBTQIA+, POC, First Nations, scifi, supernatural, horror, world cinema. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela
Forest City Blues
Throughout 2019, 19 International Baccalaureate Film students at St. Edward captured the stories of the homeless in Cleveland, Ohio.
Started as an extended introduction to the greater Cleveland Labre Project--which aims to not only to feed those who experience homelessness, but to stoke fellowship--this documentary traces the candid and sometimes surprising stories of those who do not live "inside", and moves from there to a fuller exploration of what social mechanics in the city complicate citizens' attempts to be free of poverty and homelessness.
Features a licensed cover of Marvin Gaye's Inner City Blues (featuring vocalist Teon Smith and saxophone player Steven Banks).
Length: 26:01
Director: Connor Fairfield, Richard Perrins, Osgar Nugent, James Carney, Matthew Shanahan
Producer: Nicholas Kuhar
About the writer, director and producer:
CONNOR FAIRFIELD, RICHARD PERRINS, OSGAR NUGENT, JAMES CARNEY and MATTHEW SHANAHAN are five International Baccalaureate Higher Level Film students at St. Edward High School and co-directed Forest City Blues.
NICHOLAS KUHAR is the co-founder and former Chair of the Film Department at St. Edward High School. As Chair, he launched the annual short documentary production; Forest City Blues is the fourth short documentary produced under his care.
Looking for: distributors
Made in association with: Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless, West Side Catholic Center, Metanoia Project
Funders: St. Edward High School