It's a place that is growing in the heart of our cities-a place most of us occasionally glimpse from our cars. Down Here stops and enters, confronting a world that appears post apocalyptic. This harshly surreal world is inhabited by society's fringe people-poor, hungry, sick, ashamed. These street dwellers share their stories about life without as they struggle to exist in a hostile and toxic environment.
Vancouver Director Charles Wilkinson filmed eight residents, with dignity, in a quiet and safe environment. One-on-one conversations are combined with images of the street to create an intimate portrait of people living without the safety net that was once considered a fundamental human right. In the words of one of the residents, "Sometimes I think this is a government experiment down here. I really do. How much can we endure?....we are the castaways."
Award(s): Voted Most Popular Canadian Short at Vancouver International Film Festival; Best Documentary Short Film, Cleveland International Film Festival, Okanagan International Film Festival, Edmonton International Film Festival; Venice International "Circuito Off" Film Festival
Festival(s): Beloit International Film Festival (Chicago); Vancouver's Reel Justice Festival; Victoria International Film Festival; Vancouver International Film Festival; Cleveland International Film Festival; Okanagan International Film Festival; Edmonton International Film Festival; 5th Annual Hollyshorts Film Festival (Hollywood); 10th Circuito Off Venice International Short Film Festival; Expresion En Corto 2009 International Short Film Festival (Mexico); St. Louis International Film Festival
