Screening of powerful movie on youth homelessness set for members of Congress

Produced for humanitarian purposes and inspired by actual experiences of the director who was once homeless, ‘Sugar’ offers a harsh reality check of life on the streets
(PR NewsChannel) / June 19, 2013 / LOS ANGELES and WASHINGTON 

Though not scheduled to be released until fall, an unsettling movie based on true events of life as a homeless youth will be shown during a special screening before members of Congress next week.

Sugar follows the story of a young girl with a troubled past who ends up on the streets of Venice Beach, Calif. and Hollywood when her family dies in a tragic car accident.

Attending the screening at the U.S. Capitol in addition to its stars Shenae Grimes (EMPIRE STATE, DeGrassi, 90210), Marshall Allman (HOSTAGE, Prison Break, True Blood) , and Corbin Bleu (Prison Break, True Blood, JAYNE MANSFIELD’s CAR), will be director Rotimi Rainwater – who lived on the streets for sugar-filma year after leaving the U.S. Navy.

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“The hardest part about being on the streets is the sense of isolation you feel.  You can be in a packed street and you will feel alone.  No one wants to see you.  You’re one of the forgotten ones, you’re invisible,” says Rainwater.

Rainwater says the film was made to spotlight the issue and affect change. Rainwater hopes to use money generated from this film to help get kids across America off the streets.

They’re off to a good start.

Half of the cast of the movie was homeless. And during filming they gave away meals.

“With the tiny budget we went into production with, and I mean $150,000 tiny, we were able to give away 450 meals in the 2 1/2 weeks of shooting,” says Rainwater. “I want to show people how a little bit of effort can make a difference in someone’s life.”

As a result of work on the film, five of the homeless youth are now off the streets.

The film has already captured the attention and heart of Elliott Broidy, a Los Angeles-based philanthropist and film fund manager who signed on as an Executive Producer of the film and has thrown his full support behind it.

“The children are our future. Through my participation on the Council of Guardians of Aviva Family and Children’s Services for the past 15 years, I am well aware of the horrors facing children living on the streets and what it means for all of our communities if we do not come together to do what is right and take real care of these children. It is my honor to help Rotimi Rainwater generate awareness of this beautiful film,” says Broidy. “His personal story is a moving one and he deserves to succeed.”

Twenty-seven percent of the homeless populations in the U.S. are children—making it the fastest growing homeless segment in the United States.

The Congressional screening will be used to kick off an IndieGogo campaign to raise enough money to provide 10,000 meals to homeless youth. The page for the campaign will launch day of the Congressional screening.

For more about Sugar, please visit the film’s page on Facebook: www.facebook.com/thesugarfilm.

MEDIA CONTACT:
Glenn Selig
PR firm: The Publicity Agency
Phone: 310.598.3367 (Los Angeles) or 202.600.2414 (Washington, D.C.)
Email:

Direct link:  https://prnewschannel.com/2013/06/19/screening-of-powerful-movie-on-youth-homelessness-set-for-members-of-congress/

SOURCE:  The Sugar Film


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