It's the Thought That Counts

Cross-post from Facebook:

Hello friends!

I have been waiting to release my holiday themed short, IT'S THE THOUGHT THAT COUNTS, since it screened at CineVic: Society of Independent Filmmakers's Film Festivus event.

Long story short, because of a false copyright claim on Youtube that won't be resolved until Dec. 31 (already won it once... but then I re-uploaded the video), I only have the "mostly" finished version to show you. Thankfully, the changes between this version and the one that screened are pretty minor.

I don't want to wait until after Christmas to release my Christmas film though, so, without further ado, here it is!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVUHk_opKJg

*Okay, one more "ado!" I would like to thank The Patch Victoria and the restaurant at Paul's Motor Inn for allowing us to film at your locations. It's the Thought That Counts wouldn't be what it is without your locations awesome lighting and atmopheres.

National Housing Day Screening of US & THEM, Hosted by Raising the Roof

[7 November 2016 – Toronto, Ontario] Following its emotional homecoming in La Loche, Saskatchewan, as well as a special presentation during the Union of BC Municipalities Annual Conference, US & THEM is set to have its largest screening yet.

US & THEM, written and directed by Krista Loughton and Jennifer Abbott of The Corporation, is set to screen on National Housing Day (Tuesday, November the 22nd) in support of Raising the Roof’s initiative to provided long-term solutions to homelessness.

First recognized in 2000, National Housing Day started as a way to draw attention to the hardships of homeless Canadians and to encourage policy makers to create real proactive changes. Since National Housing Day’s inception sixteen years ago though, Canada still does not have a national housing strategy. Raising the Roof hopes that this screening of US & THEM will keep the conversation going that its previous screenings have started, and get the attention of those that can influence real country-wide changes.

According to Krista, “US &THEM is a conversation starter. What it shows is that these people are really suffering and we need to be compassionate. If we can encourage people to be empathetic, the rest will fall into place and the discrimination will begin to end … Fact of the matter is, those that have suffered traumatic pasts need more care, not ignorance.”

Krista, and other to be announced speakers, will be offering a Q&A after the screening. All proceeds from this showing will go to support Raising the Roof’s goal of ending homelessness.

WHEN: November 22, 2016 at 7:00pm

WHERE: The Revue Cinema, 400 Roncesvalles Avenue

Tickets: $15, available on EventBrite.ca. 

Krista Loughton will be available for interviews in anticipation of this screening. To schedule an interview, please email Krista directly at krista@usandthemthefilm.ca.

Documentary Interviewee Returns Home to La Loche for Very Special Film Screening

[7 November 2016 – La Loche, Saskatchewan] Following two months of high profiled screenings, including one sponsored by The Centre for Addictions Research of BC, and a special screening during the Union of BC Municipalities Annual Conference, US & THEM is set to have a very special screening in La Loche, Saskatchewan.

US & THEM, written and directed by Krista Loughton and Jennifer Abbott of The Corporation, is set to screen in La Loche, on Friday, November the 18th (details to be announced). US & THEM not only offers a brutally honest look at the realities of chronic homelessness, but opens the eyes and minds of the audience by offering an empathetic view into the lives of the interviewees.

This screening in La Loche is especially poignant, as it is the hometown of one of US & THEM’s interviewees, Karen Montgrand. After falling into a life of living on the streets, Karen has been struggling to return home for over twenty years. Karen is excited to be able to see her elderly father, who she hasn’t seen since she first became homeless.

Karen’s niece, Myrna Laprise, also hopes that this screening will draw attention to the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, and put some much-needed pressure on the RCMP to act on old cases. Myrna Laprise has been searching for answers to her aunt’s disappearance since 1979, when then-14-year-old Myrna Montgrand disappeared after an evening out with friends. After investigating around La Loche, Myrna [Laprise] is certain that she knows where her aunt’s body is buried. She wants the RCMP to excavate the area, so that the family can finally put Myrna to rest.

The screening location and time will be announced soon. Please visit www.facebook.com/usandthemmovie and usandthemthefilm.ca for details.

Both Krista Loughton and Myrna Laprise are available for interviews prior to the screening. To schedule an interview, please email Krista directly at krista@usandthemthefilm.ca

Special Homeless Action Week Screening of US AND THEM October 11th

[3 October 2016 - Victoria BC] Frontrunners Victoria is proud to announce that, as a part of Homeless Action Week, they will be presenting a screening of the much buzzed about film, US AND THEM. This event will be sponsored by The Centre for Addictions Research of BC, and will include a discussion panel following the 7pm screening.

The panel discussion (How Can We Help the Chronically Homeless Recover from Deep Trauma?) will be moderated by Kathy Stinson of the Victoria Cool Aid Society. The panelists will be Bernie Pauly from the Centre for Addictions Research of BC, Bernice Kamano of the Aboriginal Collation to End Homelessness, and filmmaker Krista Loughton.

US AND THEM, written and directed by Krista Loughton and Jennifer Abbott (The Corporation), is currently set to screen at several prominent events across Canada, including the Union of BC Municipalities Annual Conference where it will be shown to policy makers and other delegates of municipal governments, and on Parliament Hill during Ottawa’s annual Housing on the Hill event. This Frontrunners hosted screening will be the public’s opportunity to gain an empathetic look into the lives of individuals that they otherwise might not have had a chance to experience.

US AND THEM shatters misconceptions about why people end up on the streets through its compassionate narrative. Krista Loughton lends a familiarity to all that she interviews. Krista's subjects aren't "just homeless." They are not faceless apparitions wandering the streets. These people are the friends and family that we all know in our communities, who need our support.

In anticipation of this event, Bernie Pauly and Krista Loughton will be available to speak with the media. In order to schedule an interview spot, please contact Krista directly at krista@usandthemthefilm.ca.

Event Details:

Tickets: $10 +GST, available on Eventbrite

Location: Cinecenta UVIC (Student Union Building) - 3800 Finnerty Road, Victoria BC

Date: Tuesday, October the 11th

Time: 7:00pm and 9:15pm. There will be a panel discussion after the 7:00pm show.

Press Release for US AND THEM

Homelessness Costs Canadians $7 Billion Annually (But it Doesn’t Have To!)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

[24 August 2016 – CANADA-WIDE] Homelessness isn’t just a municipal issue; it is a national epidemic. Not only is the life expectancy of homeless people almost half that of non-homeless Canadians, our homelessness epidemic costs tax payers an estimated $7 billion every year (as shown in a report by the Look Out Society). Switching from reactionary measures to preventative measures and providing homes to those that need it would save billions. Even to those that believe in a bootstrap mentality, it is difficult to argue the numbers.

US & THEM, filmed by Krista Loughton and Jennifer Abbott (The Corporation), shatters misconceptions about why people end up on the streets, and reveals why the "pull yourself up by the bootstraps" narrative is heavily flawed. As one such interviewee, Dawnella Gautherier, reveals, leaving the streets is not as simple as going to the neighbourhood shelter. In the late 2000s, Dawnlella found herself banned from multiple shelters because of violent night terrors that she was afflicted with, caused by the death of her son.

In order to explains the deep connection between emotional trauma and homelessness, US & THEM features insight from such experts as addictions specialist and author, Dr. Gabor Maté. As Dr. Maté explains, the environment that a baby is exposed to shapes the development of the brain. Those that "were traumatized and abused in their childhood simply [did not] have the right conditions for healthy brain development. ... Later on when [abuse survivors] come across substances which activate or sooth these circuits," such as a homeless person turning to an opiate for comfort, "they're prone to become addicted on first contact because finally they're getting what life should have given them in the first place."

Although filmed around downtown Victoria, US & THEM could take place in any Canadian city or town. Through her compassionate style of documentary filmmaking, Krista Loughton lends a familiarity to all that she interviews. Krista's subjects aren't "just homeless." They are not faceless apparitions wandering the streets. These people are the friends and family that we all know in our communities, who need our support.

To learn more about US & THEM, or to organize a screening in your town, go to usandthemthefilm.ca or email krista@usandthemthefilm.ca.

Social Media:

Facebook.com/usandthemmovie

Twitter.com/_usandthem

Instagram.com/usandthemfilm