LOS ANGELES, July 12, 2021 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Invisible People, a nonprofit dedicated to educating the public about homelessness, announced today the release of MOBILE, a short film by director Luciana Faulhaber, available to view for free on YouTube. Produced in partnership with High-Toned Entertainment, MOBILE is a short film, based on true life events, that tells the story of a growing population forced into mobile homelessness throughout Southern California.
"We are honored to work with Director Luciana Faulhaber and High-Toned Entertainment to bring this powerful story to life for viewers around the world," said Mark Horvath, founder, and CEO of Invisible People. "MOBILE was created to educate and inspire people to help end homeless in their own community."
Using creative ways to raise awareness about homelessness in America, Invisible People has nearly 1M YouTube subscribers and 130M views generated on the platform. The nonprofit's Invisible Stories, a mini-doc series that goes beyond the rhetoric, statistics, political debates, and limitations of social services to examine poverty in America, won a Shorty Social Good Award for Best Documentary Short. In 2020, Invisible People partnered with Oculus on a VR production titled "We Live Here," a virtual reality experience that immerses you in the life of Rockey, a homeless woman living in Los Angeles.
MOBILE is a short film based on true life events that tells the story of a growing population forced into mobile homelessness. While trying to survive the pandemic, Lydia's income was cut. After being evicted for her inability to pay rent, Lydia finds that living in her car is her only choice. She struggles to stay safe while keeping a sense of normalcy working as a rideshare driver in Los Angeles. Finding a safe place to park at night proves challenging until Lydia meets an unexpected ally who shows her kindness.
The pandemic jumpstarted a perfect storm of homelessness, with the numbers of mobile homeless people growing in Los Angeles and around the U.S. Today, more than 6 million households face the risk of eviction. In 2020, Invisible People surveyed more than 2,500 residents in 16 U.S. cities to identify public attitudes about homelessness and measure support for common policy recommendations. Researchers found a direct correlation between what the general public perceives about homelessness and U.S. homeless policy. In addition, most respondents blamed homelessness on the person experiencing it, rather than the lack of affordable housing and employment, childhood trauma, or other risk factors.
MOBILE is Invisible People's second collaboration with Faulhaber, following the release of HOMELESS, a short film based on real-life events that highlights the struggles of homeless people and the urgent need for effective support and intervention programs. HOMELESS was filmed on location in the New York City area, and it has achieved nearly 200,000 views since its release on YouTube in January 2021.
A first-generation Latinx Immigrant, Luciana Faulhaber co-founded "Enuff" (Enough) Productions with Javier E. Gomez to create opportunities for people of color in front and behind the camera. Luciana has created projects that discuss immigration, racism, and homelessness. She has received accolades for her feature film directorial debut, with Don't Look, nominated for Best Director (North Hollywood Film Festival & Crimson Screen) and Best Picture (Crimson Screen), and winning six awards, including the Spotlight Silver Award for Innovation in Independent Filmmaking. As an actress, you can see her in "Shades of Blue," "Grey's Anatomy," and "Iron Man 3."
Invisible People's 2020 report, What America Believes About Homelessness, provides a toolkit for building public and political support designed for policymakers, advocates, service providers and others working to end homelessness. It details the dangerous cycle of misperception caused by a lack of understanding about the causes of homelessness that leads to the inability to effectively address the issue in our communities.
"Each day, we work to fight homelessness by giving it a face while educating individuals about the systemic issues that contribute to its existence. Through storytelling, education, news, and activism, we are changing the narrative on homelessness," said Horvath. "We hope viewers of MOBILE come away understanding that people forced to live in their vehicles simply cannot afford the high cost of rent. If we do not fix the affordable housing crisis, homelessness will continue to get worse."
Watch MOBILE here: https://invisiblepeople.tv/mobilefilm
About Invisible People
Invisible People is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to educating the public about homelessness through innovative storytelling, news and advocacy. Since our launch in 2008, Invisible People has become a pioneer and trusted resource for inspiring action and raising awareness in support of advocacy, policy change and thoughtful dialogue around poverty in North America and the United Kingdom.
Media Contact:
Mark Horvath, [email protected], 213-245-1519
Media Contact
Mark Horvath, Invisible People, +1 (213) 245-1519, [email protected]
SOURCE Invisible People
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