News

Sleeping Rough

Sleeping Rough is a docudrama film about UK street homelessness that has directly involved two Catz alumni, and many other college alumni who have generously donated towards the film’s production through a successful Kickstarter campaign.

Melita Cameron-Wood (2012, Modern Languages) became involved in the project after meeting the director of Pastles Productions, Owain Astles, at Encounters Short Film Festival in Bristol last year. Astles, the director, writer and co-producer of Sleeping Rough was looking to collaborate with individuals who could add to his ever growing database of audio interviews with rough sleepers nationwide, which have gone on to form a key part of the film’s narrative. Melita originally became involved through carrying out these audio interviews in London, and her role quickly escalated to co-producer as the campaign grew.

More Catz involvement comes from Dan Baboulene (2012, Music), who composed and produced a song for the film inspired by a poem written by Miguel Dean, inspired by his personal experiences on the streets.

The film aims to portray real stories and to fight preconceptions and misunderstandings about street homelessness. A collaborative partnership was forged between Cardboard Citizens and Pastles Productions and the team went on to source the majority of their actors from this association, ensuring that the portrayals of the individuals’ stories were as accurate as possible. Pastles has also worked closely with The Big Issue Foundation and the film, which is due to be released in the near future, will be screened at The Big Issue Sleep Out this year prior to festival submissions. The team also plans to launch a showcase of the artistic submissions collated throughout the year on the theme of homelessness to get people thinking about those living on the peripheries, who often go unnoticed and unheard.

For more information or if you are interested in collaborating with the team in any way, please visit: http://www.pastlesproductions.com/