The red carpet was out at Turlock’s Regal Cinemas on Thursday with guests lined up in their finery for a photo session before entering the theatre. Were they there for the premiere of a new blockbuster superhero flick? Or maybe a sequel to the romantic comedy “Christian Mingle?” Neither. The red carpet premiere was for a new film by local executive producers John and Jet Lewis that humanizes the issue of homelessness.
The film, “No Address,” follows the journey of three individuals who end up living on the streets by different means — a young man who leaves an abusive household, a young woman who is thrown out of her foster home on the day of her high school graduation and a real estate professional whose family loses everything when his gambling debts and job loss affect their financial situation.
The movie features Lucas Jade Zumann, Beverly D’Angelo, Isabella Ferreira, William Baldwin, Xander Berkeley, Ty Pennington, Kristannna Loken, Patricia Velasquez, and Grammy award-winning singer/songwriter and actress Ashanti (who plays a homeless veteran battling addiction issues and cancer).
“No Address” is inspired by the real stories Lewis and others heard during the making of the 2024 documentary “Americans With No Address.”
A production team embarked on a cross-country mission to witness and film a documentary on the homeless crisis in America. They learned that mental health issues, fentanyl and alcohol addictions play a big role in this tragic human epidemic. Amidst this turmoil, the team found hope and solutions from faith-driven and secular nonprofits.
“It was just an eye-opening experience just telling the homeless people’s stories. Some of them were lawyers, doctors, of course, we know a lot of them are veterans…they all had a story to tell about how they ended up homeless,” said John Lewis.
“The goal is to just really make the rest of the country aware. It’s time. We’re trying to get a national movement going. Robert Craig Films has partnered with 1,500 different homeless shelters that are 501c3s (nonprofits) and are donating 50% of net proceeds to them because of the great work they are doing,” Lewis continued.
Where the documentary presents statistics and real-life stories to viewers, the “No Address” movie aims to create an emotional link between the audience and the main characters. At the end of the movie, Ty Pennington, one of the actors in the film and a well-known HGTV show host, moderates a round table discussion with different nonprofit agencies from across the country that serve the homeless population — including the Salvation Army.
In the audience at Thursday’s movie premiere was Turlock Salvation Army Corps Captain Jeff Breazeale.
“I really liked the movie. It was very informative in the way that it was portrayed, in showing that homelessness can happen at any time to anybody, and that is very true,” he said.
Breazeale said that the movie brings to light some of the reality of what people who are homeless experience on a daily basis and shows that those who are homeless have lives and feelings and emotions just like everybody else.
“The underlining story throughout the whole thing is the need to love — love for one another, and also the need for relationships. Whether it be in a small community, in a large community or even just relationships within our homeless community, and how that builds and helps people get through in out of homelessness.”
“No Address” is playing this weekend and into next week in theatres in Sacramento and the Bay Area. For theatres and movie times, visit: noaddressmovie.com.
The documentary “Americans With No Address” is streaming now on Amazon Prime.
