Description A gritty, firsthand look at a reality most would rather turn away from, THE THROWAWAYS is a feature length documentary film that challenges viewers to bear witness and confront the struggles and hopes of those living on the fringes of a society that has discarded and forgotten them. I am an invisible man. I am a man of substance, of flesh and bone, fiber and liquids - and I might even be said to possess a mind. I am invisible, understand, simply because people refuse to see me. - Ralph Ellison Invisible Man Plot Outline A gritty, firsthand look at a reality most would rather turn away from, THE THROWAWAYS is a feature length documentary film that challenges viewers to bear witness and confront the struggles and hopes of those living on the fringes of a society that has discarded and forgotten them. THE THROWAWAYS tells the story of filmmaker and activist, Ira McKinley, who channels the experience of living on the streets through the lens of a video camera. By using his unique perspective to shed light on the struggle of people living on the margins of society, McKinley aims to pull the curtain back for viewers and expose how the current economic crisis is having a devastating effect on those who are in greatest need. In a time when many Americans feel threatened by economic uncertainty, those who face homelessness and poverty are even more acutely affected. They have become throwaways, invisible to most, discarded by a system that has failed them. The film traces McKinley’s past from his upbringing in Ithaca, NY, to a prison cell in Staten Island during the September 11th attacks, to his shot at a new life when he learns camera and editing skills at a small public access television station in Northampton, MA. THE THROWAWAYS follows McKinley as he takes to the streets of New York’s Capital Region, a true citizen journalist, filming protests and vigils, speaking truth to power and capturing the stories of the throwaways. Weaving McKinleys personal narrative of redemption with the stories of others like him who have been shunned by society, THE THROWAWAYS places these individual struggles against the backdrop of a movement rising up to challenge the cutting of publicly funded services by local and federal governments. Not a simple illumination of marginalized people at their weakest, the film empowers those who have been previously invisible, through the raw power of their stories. We meet Donald Stevens, struggling to find stable housing situations, shunned from shelter after shelter on a frigid winter night. Denise Ramos, pregnant at 14 years old, now a mom striving to raise her 8 year old son into a responsible person. Darien Persaud, homeless at 16, struggling to learn to live on his own and and get an education, seemingly on the verge of turning his life around. As THE THROWAWAYS follows these deeply personal narratives the film ultimately unveils the hypocrisy behind statewide defunding of basic services in the face of soaring profits on wall street. THE THROWAWAYS also illustrates the prevailing attitude in many inner-city neighborhoods that our governmental support systems have failed, and that real hope lies in the power of the people. The film takes you to the South End of Albany, NY where community based groups such as AVillage and Young & Gifted are planting gardens and incubating small-scale businesses as a way to revive their economically depressed neighborhoods. Across the Hudson River to Troy where the Missing Link Street Ministry a church founded by Pastor Willie Bacote a former drug-addict who himself spent many years living on the streets of the Capital Region. A beacon of hope in the rugged North Central district of the Collar City, Pastor Willie spreads hope in the form of a spirited mix of salvation, free food, clothing, and after-school programs for kids. Not a simple illumination of marginalized people at their weakest, THE THROWAWAYS empowers those who have been previously invisible, through the raw power of their collective stories. A gritty, firsthand look at a reality most would rather turn away from, THE THROWAWAYS challenges viewers to bear witness and confront the daily struggles and hopes of those living on the fringes of a society that has rejected and forgotten them. Jose Serrica thought you might like to Like this page.
Posted on: Sun, 20 Oct 2013 19:46:13 +0000
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