Catholic Communications, Sydney Archdiocese REPORT
18 Dec 2012
18 Dec 2012
Advertising guru, Russel Howcroft (right) and Vinnies CEO Michael Perusco (centre) congratulate Roy Faamatala on his documentary
"A Place Like This," a moving and insightful documentary that chronicles the day-to-day struggles and small triumphs in the lives of six Sydney men and women battling homelessness is not only winning word-of-mouth raves after an exclusive pre-screening last week, but is expected to be in the running for a series of international awards.
Even more remarkable is that the film was made by a homeless man himself.
Japanese businessman Roy Faamatala never expected to become homeless but after last year's catastrophic tsunami he travelled to Sydney to arrange for exports of much needed goods to his crippled homeland. A sudden unexpected heart attack turned his life upside down. Unable to work, he had no income and the high cost of being ill so far from home took what funds he had.
By the time he was released from St Vincent's Hospital, his credit card was maxed out and there was no money for him to return to the hotel where he had been staying; or to afford a cheaper hotel.
In a foreign country and without friends or family to help, Roy turned to St Vincent de Paul Society.
"I never even in my wildest dreams expected to end up homeless. But for the next two months I lived at Vinnies' Matthew Talbot Hostel in Woolloomooloo with other homeless men," says Roy.
105,000 Australians are currently homeless
Although the Hostel itself is open only to men, Vinnies' Matthew Talbot Homeless Services also cares for women in search of shelter. In addition to sharing meals with many of Sydney's homeless men and women provided by Vinnies' Homeless Services, Roy also met others in the same boat when he began attending Vinnies' Ozanam Learning Centre next door.
Established in 2008, the Centre provides an innovative series of programs and courses aimed at helping Sydney's disadvantaged youth and other age groups get back on their feet. Along with vocational and job skills, resume writing, employment interview preparation and living skills such as cooking and nutrition, the Centre offers drama workshops, music at all levels and TAFE classes in filmmaking.
Roy joined the film making class and in a case of serendipity was not only eager to produce and direct a film about "the human face of homeless" and his own experiences over the past few months, but discovered this had long been a project the NSW St Vincent de Paul Society was keen to realise.
"We had tried to arrange documentaries but winning the trust of men and women who are homeless is not easy. Forced to live by their wits they need to be suspicious to survive. Which is why Roy's plan for a documentary was so exciting," says Julie McDonald, Vinnies NSW's General Manager of Community & Corporate Relations. "Not only had Roy been homeless himself but during his time at Matthew Talbot he had won the respect and trust of several homeless men and women who agreed to let him film their lives to document the truth about homelessness and the people it affects."
In addition to Vinnies' support, "A Place like this" was also made in collaboration with advertising agency, George Patterson Y & R Sydney and Tafe NSW, where Roy was studying.
One of Roy's champions and mentors throughout the entire process was Russel Howcroft, CEO of the ad agency and well known as one of the stars of ABC's TV hit, The Gruen Transfer.
Older women are the new face of homelessness
Russel was one of those at the exclusive pre-screening of Roy's documentary last week and full of high praise for the emotionally-charged film which moved those there not only to tears but also to laughter.
The documentary follows the lives of six homeless men and women, including Roy himself. The others include Krystal who is 21, Keith who is in his 50s, Jon a young man in his 30s, Gabriel who is 35 and Maria who is in her 60s. All are currently homeless and all were willing to let their often harrowing stories be told as well as their ongoing battle to survive and to rebuild their lives.
Like many women her age who become homeless, Maria was a victim of domestic violence. Through Vinnies she found safety at last and now through Ozanam she is studying clothes design. Art is also helping helping Gabriel and Keith get back on their feet while Jon is rebuilding his life through music.
Meanwhile Krystal is at TAFE and studying for a career in mental health.
"I wanted to tell the truth about homelessless through the lives of these five as well as my own time being homeless. I wanted to show that homelessness is not about stereotypes but about people each with their own story," Roy says.
While "A Place Like this" is certain to garner rave reviews when it is finally released and may even win prestigious international prizes, for Roy the experience of being homeless and having the opportunity to make this powerful documentary has affected him at a far deeper level.
"God put me there," he insists of his time at the Matthew Talbot Hostel. "God put me there to see and feel what it's like to be in that situation and to witness what it is like for others, and to let the world see that these are people like you and me, and that homelessness can happen to anyone."
Roy's time at Matthew Talbot changed his perspective about life and at 58 he says he finally understands what is important and what matters.
"Before this experience I was a typical businessman chasing material gain," he says. "But thanks to what happened to me, I have changed and am a better person and more compassionate of others and have a greater understanding of people."
Roy is now back on his feet as a businessman and commodities trader but he insists that his work on behalf of the homeless will continue to be his priority and his passion.
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