view . spring 2013
17
STUDENT DOCUMENTARY FOCUSES ON YOUTH HOMELESSNESS
A film student hopes a new documentary she
produced will draw much-needed attention
to
the issues of youth homelessness in Windsor.
“The community needs to be aware of what’s
happening and what’s needed, and film is one of the best
mediums to demonstrate those challenges,” said Svjetlana
Oppen, who produced a 40-minute documentary,
“What Is Home?”
Shot in black and white, the film focuses on the
Windsor Youth Centre (WYC), a local drop-in site for
homeless youth. The video dispels the “squeegy-kid”
stereotype, Oppen says, featuring the story of a young
woman with a full year of university under her belt, as well
as others who talk with clarity and sincerity about their
lives on the streets.
Oppen, a fourth-year student in Communication, Media
and Film, said making the film was a passion project done
over and above her requirements for academic credit.
It began as a series of short videos to complement a
published collection of reflections by WYC staff, volunteers
and youth on the subject of home. All of the photography
and production for that book was handled by fellow student
Mary Katharine Keown.
As the president of the non-profit Stagehouse
Multimedia, Oppen and her husband, who directed the film,
began spending a lot of time at the centre, getting to know
the youth who rely on it. The result was some very candid
and raw commentary from them.
“At times it was way too emotional for me,” Oppen
said. “There were times when I had to stop and put the
camera down.”
Tamara Kowalska, a fellow student and one of the
centre’s founding members, said the film is so honest
because the pair earned the respect of their subjects by
spending so much time there.
“They really gained the trust of the youth,” she said.
“They got what they got because of who they are.”
Oppen said she hopes the film will open people’s eyes
to how they can get involved with tackling the issues of
youth homelessness.
“I hope people will leave the theatre thinking that it’s
very easy to help,” she said. “It’s easy to get involved and
to help these people. You just have to make up your mind
and go there.”
Student Svjetlana Oppen hopes her film shines a spotlight on youth
homelessness.
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