When you hear word street reporter you might think of it as someone who’s a professional journalist/ reporter getting exclusive stories from everyday people around the world. The short-film Street Reporter adds a whole new meaning to the title. Director Laura Waters Hinson captures fifty-eight-year-old Sheila White’s life from a unique perspective. White works for Street Sense, a newspaper that chronicles what life is like on the streets and has her own compelling journey of working to change her life situation. White is starting her journey of becoming a photojournalist while also battling the daunting task of escaping homelessness. She lives in a homeless shelter while simultaneously attending a local university.
Street Reporter short film will be one of many different stories on display at The Original Thinkers Festival September 29- October 2. Director Laura Waters Hinson and reporter Sheila White will take part in a panel discussion at the festival which provides and puts a spotlight on artists, thinkers, storytellers and visionaries.
Street Reporter is a deeply intimate, character-based film produced with community collaborators that provides a window into the power of community journalism in one woman’s life, casting a vision of the re-humanizing effects of life’s most basic need: a place to call home. Director Laura Waters Hinson allows Sheila White the freedom to tell her story while also helping others’ who are in her same position tell theirs. It’s a beautiful display of humanity from all angles. Street Sense Media is a remarkable company that uplifts and amplifies the voices of street reporters in Washington DC by creating job opportunities and skills training for individuals experiencing homelessness.
Tickets for The Original Thinkers Festival are available now.
Written by contributor Eric Thompson Jnr.
