THE DAILY STAR Wednesday, December 13, 2017 On the Bright Side: Ex-SUNY Oneonta Student Makes Film On Homeless Life
FILMMAKER PREMIERES DOCUMENTARY MADE WHILE SHE WAS HOMELESS ON AMAZON
Saturday, November 11, 2017 / Updated Saturday, November 18, 2017
Would you fall in love with a homeless person? Newly released on Amazon, documentary feature film, "Orca: A True Story", aims to answer this very question.
Filmed in New York City during Summer 2017, "Orca: A True Story" director and star, Jehan Semper, former IT worker and Occupy Wall Street protester, allows the audience to share her true life experience as one woman extricating herself from the odyssey of being a homeless street beggar in Downtown Manhattan during the six years since the Occupy Wall Street spectacle at Zuccotti Park.
Jehan says, "Orca: A True Story is different than other films about the homeless because the story is about a real person and her experiences. One of which, is the experience of being homeless." Jehan works to accomplish her goal of returning to "a normal life", after six years of sleeping on sidewalks and in doorways, by saving money she receives from passersby who respond to her cardboard sign that reads "Need $ for FOOD!" as she sits silently.
As though the task of returning to "a normal life" as an employable member of society with a job and a home isn't challenging enough, as she nears the goal, she decides that she would like to get married. Thus, she starts interacting with passersby that are kind to her as though they are speed dating. And as though she wasn't busy with that, Jehan thought it would be a great idea to make a film about that process and that's exactly what she did--with a smartphone.
"When I decided to make the film, I just thought, 'What do you need to make a movie? You need a camera and you need people. I have a camera in my smartphone and I have people who are willing to sit and talk with me,' so I just did it."
Jehan's perception of the relationships built with her "speed dates" and the people who befriended her during her time as Street Beggar in Downtown Manhattan, is the heart of the film.
"Orca: A True Story" is written, produced and directed by Jehan Semper and stars Jehan Semper, Scott Lies, Derek Nicoletto and David Williams. Orca: A True Story Completed: 2017 Running Time: 79 minutes Released: November 11, 2017
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