Event Date: Monday, October 30, 2017 | 7:00pm
Event Location: Theatre Gallery – Lethbridge Public Library, Main Branch
[Lethbridge] Together with the Lethbridge Public Library and the City of Lethbridge Social Housing In Action group, United Way will host a screening of US AND THEM, a Canadian-produced documentary, on Monday, October 30 at 7pm in the Theatre Gallery at the Library’s Main Branch.
To bring attention to the issues of homelessness and addiction, US AND THEM is touring Canadian communities in 2017. The response after every show has been incredible; audience members are leaving with a newfound compassion and desire to help the chronically homeless.
US AND THEM was written and directed by Krista Loughton and award-winning filmmaker Jennifer Abbott who joined the project in 2013. Abbott is the co-director and editor of the widely acclaimed film THE CORPORATION, one of Canada’s most successful documentaries.
The Canadian tour of US AND THEM continues this fall and the line-up included an exclusive screening on Parliament Hill for all of Canada’s MPs on September 26. The event was hosted by the Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development.
Lethbridge is joining US AND THEM’s national efforts to raise awareness about homelessness and addiction through a compassionate lens. At a time when Canada, is in the midst of both a housing and opioid crisis, a national effort to raise awareness about homelessness and addiction through a compassionate lens has never been more relevant.
Filmmaker Krista Loughton will be in attendance and will be available for interviews prior to the screening. Following the film, there will also be a Q & A period.
Admission is free, however, donations will be gratefully accepted at the door and will support local programs for people and families related to poverty reduction, food access, and housing through United Way’s Community Fund.
Doors open at 6:30pm, program begins at 7pm. Due to the capacity of the venue, seating is limited to just 150.
FILM SYNOPSIS:
Filmed over a decade, US AND THEM is a deeply visceral film about transformation through human connection. It all begins when filmmaker Krista Loughton is questioned by addiction expert Dr. Gabor Maté about her need to relieve pain in the world. This takes her back in time when she befriended four chronically homeless people in an effort to help them heal their lives.
Under the mentorship of Hereditary Chief Phil Lane Jr., Krista decides to teach her friends how to balance on the First Nations Medicine Wheel. In the beginning, there is connection and hope, but unfortunately, none are able to conquer their addictions or significantly change their lives. And then tragically, one dies. Out of her league, Krista seeks out the counsel of Dr. Maté, who forces her to confront her own motivations. Krista confesses her own emotional struggles with her remaining street friends. They display an extraordinary empathy and wisdom no one could have anticipated.
Stop in Lethbridge for touring documentary film Us and Them
