Our Film is now launched.

We are delighted to announce that we have launched our Speaking of Homelessness Film on Friday 24th June 2022 at the Community Hub, King Power Stadium.

Funded by Arts Council England, the project has fostered the creative development of SoundCafe guests, who are people that are homeless or socially vulnerable due to their housing conditions. They have shared their lived experience of homelessness with the support of a professional dramatist.

Speaking of Homelessness has addressed the limited opportunities available to people who are homeless to participate in the arts by allowing them to develop the film, write and act in the artistic films. The film is a collection of stories that raise awareness of the challenges of being homeless or vulnerably housed and what it is to be on the edge of society and ignored. The process has empowered the participants and enabled the voices of those on the fringes of society to be heard, as well as providing a learning experience for everyone involved – volunteers and staff alike.

The films will be available for interested organisations to download from the SoundCafe website.  Please watch out for the link coming soon.

They will also be shared with schools from September 2022 through the Leicester Diocesan Board of Education. SoundCafe’s Director, Rachel Griffiths, said ‘I am absolutely delighted with the films produced and what this means to the guests. To be able to raise awareness of the true experiences of homelessness through the sharing of personal stories is extremely powerful and the film is incredibly moving.’

An initial series of four workshops took place in July 2021 at St Mary de Castro Church. They gave the SoundCafe team, our creative director and videographer the chance to find out more about our guests’ stories and look at how those narratives can be captured and shared on film. St Mary de Castro provides a peaceful and contemplative space for guests to work through their experiences, which are all deeply personal and challenging.

Supported by

Arts Council England

and

The Kirby Laing Family Foundation