'21st-century Cathy Come Home' will highlight the rise of UK homelessness

The Observer, Saturday 31 March 2012

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2012/apr/01/truth-about-stanley-film-homelessness

A short film designed to raise awareness about Britain's rising rates of homelessness is to be premiered in London this week before becoming one of the latest professional productions to go straight to the internet.

The Truth About Stanley depicts the unlikely relationship between an elderly Congolese man and a young runaway boy both sleeping rough on the streets of London. It stars award-winning Kenyan actor Oliver Litondo and 12-year-old British actor Raif Clarke and has already been called the "Cathy Come Home for the 21st century" by one critic.

The film is released as the UK's homelessness rates increase: last month government figures showed the numbers of rough sleepers had risen by a fifth in England, while there was a 14% year-on-year rise in the numbers applying for homelessness assistance. Local authorities in England and Wales also reported a 44% increase in families accepted as homeless after their houses were repossessed.

Backed by Oscar-winning production company Trademark, which made My Week with Marilyn, the soundtrack has been provided by Radiohead and Mumford and Sons, and funding has come from legal firm Freshfields. Although the film-makers emphasise The Truth About Stanley is not a charity advert, it is hoped that it will raise money for two homeless social enterprises that helped in the making of the drama – The Big Issue Foundation and east London hostel and skills centre Anchor House.

It is expected that the 20-minute short will gain a wide international audience and offer an alternative view of the capital for those arriving for this summer's Olympics. But for Litondo, who plays Stanley, the problem does not just affect London or Britain, but is a global issue.

"Homelessness is a big issue not just in London or the big western cities but in Africa also," he said. "It's a subject I thought needed to get to a wider audience, and this film is one which I hope will reach out. I want not just people in the west to see this but also people in Africa. I hope it will reach as many people as possible because it is important for people to understand that, when they think everything is better in the UK or the US, it isn't always. You can face situations as Stanley faces in the film, when things are not better, when as a refugee the turmoil you can face here can be as severe, if not more severe, as the turmoil in some place like the Congo."

He said that many of the characters in the film were played by homeless people: "It was good to meet some of these people and to listen to them. Homelessness as a challenge is something we must face. We must get these kids back into education and these people back into society or what kind of society are we?"

Short films designed for the internet rather than a traditional film festival showing have been a growing phenomenon, but The Truth About Stanley will test for the first time the online film's ability to raise funds.

"Just about everyone is giving their time for free," said producer Tom Clark. "It's been quite a weird mix with film-makers, corporate sponsors and charities all on board, but everyone has been very driven to help raise the profile of homelessness. The whole idea of the film is to show that these are people, human beings, out there on our streets. The rest of us tend to be in denial about that and block them out or treat them like so many bits of waste paper. I hope this film will give people the nudge they need to think about how we solve this problem."