Festival screens tent city documentary as homeless residents clear out

In a twist of fate, a documentary about Moncton's tent city is being screened at the Shediac Film Festival on the same day that people at the site were packing up after being evicted.

The film, called Tent City, will be screened Wednesday nightas part of the festival's fourth edition.

Wednesday was the original deadline set by the City of Monctonon its eviction notice this week. As many as 40 people lived at the tent site on Albert Street this summer, but the city wants everyone out.

Because of rain, the deadline has been extended to Thursday.

Shannon Camilleri, who used to live at the site and is a subject of the documentary, said she has mixed feelings about the eviction.

On one hand, she's hopes people will find space at shelters, since winter is coming, but she also knows first hand that restrictive shelter life isn't for everyone.

"Early curfews, you know, even limited time of when you can eat, things like that,"Camillerisaid. "Those things play a big factor, especially when you're an adult and then you're kind of expected to have child-like rules. Doesn't work for everybody."

Director Colleen Furlotte said she learned a lot about the homeless community while making the documentary.

"What was surprising to me is that there are some things that were happening in tent city that are very desirable and that are actually lacking in the community," said Furlotte.

"When you have a shared struggle, there's a great amount of empathy there. So I think we have something to learn."

Festival organizer Colin Thornton has a simple explanation for why Tent City was chosen to screen at the festivalit's a good film.

"We send out submissions to as many filmmakers as we can and get responses, and Colleen's movie was a cut above and so it was in," said Thornton.

Thornton said he was aware there were homeless people in Moncton, but he didn't appreciate the extent of the problem until he watched the documentary.

"I had no idea that people were living in Moncton like that," he said.

"It was a real eye-opener for me, and I'm almost certain that for the filmgoers tonight it'll be an in-depth study of a segment of the city that nobody knew about."

'Real stories'

While the film is available to watch on YouTube, Furlotte said the question-and-answer session after the screening is one of the selling points to watching the film at the festival.

"I think this one is important because a number of cast members are scheduled to be there tonight," said Furlotte.

"So to be able to speak directly to the people aside from getting to see them onscreen and hear them, to actually have them there and to be able to talk to them and have them go into more depth, I think that's going to be really powerful."

Camilleri said she's excited about participating in the Q&A session and findsit's inspiring to be able to share her story.

"These are real stories by real people and we're bringing it tonight," she said.

"It's probably going to be one of the only times you're ever going to hear all of us on the same platform at the same time telling just how it is."

Camilleri, whonow has a home, said people might not believe that nine months ago she was homeless.

One thing she wants people to leave the screening thinking about is that homelessness doesn't have one face.

"There's many faces to homelessness," she said. "And for there to be stereotypes and stigmas in 2019 surrounding homelessness, I think that's what needs to change."

The documentary will be shown at 7 p.m. at the Shediac Multipurpose Centre.