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Louell Crowley and Rodger James in association with their production company Pennington Palm Productions today announced that their documentary film, “Acquiring a Connection With The American Homeless” will screen in the LA edition of the prestigious New York International Independent Film and Video Festival (NYIIFVF). The inspirational documentary which focuses on effective ways to help the homeless will play at 8pm on Saturday September 29 at the Sunset Laemmle 5 with a private reception to follow. The documentary has already won a Telly Award and has been nominated by the NYIIFVF Jury in two important categories, Best Achievement in Filmmaking and Best Directorial Debut for Crowley.

Produced, written, directed and edited by Crowley and executive produced by Rodger James, Acquiring a Connection With The American Homeless documents the plight of homeless population in Houston, Texas and is designed as an instructional video for people interested in learning how to help. The film is part of a true reality series and has already aired on a cable channel in Houston. Hosted by Judy Denton, viewers get an opportunity to learn from volunteers such as Nova Noah as well as Margo Montgomery from Crossroads, a foundation dedicated to providing services to promote the health, hygiene and dignity of homeless persons in SE Houston. By gathering new and used items and by considering the feelings of the homeless, an enormous difference can be made. The documentary contains poignant interviews with homeless citizens, in which they reveal their emotional state and describe the hardships they face on a daily basis. The film also includes a moving original theme song entitled “The Invisible People,” which was written and performed by Minister Dwayne Daigle.

The catalyst for the documentary series stemmed from the shockingly high homeless rate in Houston where over 14,000 citizens are living on the streets. An ambitious Crowley took a crash course in all facets of filmmaking in order to create an effective medium to expose the serious issues that beleaguer the homeless, such as declining physical health, extreme hunger, lack of clean clothes and bedding, poor hygiene, very rough sleeping conditions as well as depression, poor self-image and feelings of isolation, loneliness and despair. Another big-picture objective of the series is to secure funding to build shelters and to change perceptions of the homeless, many of whom are perceived as drug addicted or mentally ill, but are just as often simply citizens who have fallen on hard times. Pennington Palm Productions request that all donations to the homeless should be sent to the Crossroads Foundation in Houston.

In a recent interview for IFQ Magazine Crowley commented, “I feel compelled to help others in need. Actions speak louder than words. Seeing so many homeless, I decided to be a blessing to someone each and every day. Homelessness and desolation go hand in hand. I can't describe the feeling I get from offering someone genuine help and hope.” Crowley adds, “Through our reality TV series, I want to share my experiences the world, change lives, pass the hope around to all our homeless citizens and motivate fellow human beings to also lend their support.”

The documentary was funded by Rodger James, author of three screenplays and two novels. According to Mr. James “ This endeavor has grown beyond our expectations. I am proud to be a part of it. The title "INVISIBLE PEOPLE" received its name upon watching the homeless on our streets, standing on corners and walking down the sidewalks, never to be noticed. I would watch the drivers of the cars totally oblivious to those who are less fortunate. There are so many, that we have grown accustom to them. No one person, no one company can do it all. It will take "US" as a nation to help our own,” said James

According to NYIIFVF's Founder/Executive Producer Stuart Alson, “I am truly honored to be screening Acquiring a Connection With The American Homeless in our LA festival. This is a very important and powerful film. Homelessness is a very serious issue in the US. I admire Louell's creative method of highlighting their plight. The film contains engaging performances from the homeless cast and I hope it will impact and motivate people of all ages. Stuart goes on to say “Louell Crowley is a unique and passionate individual; I am confident that her film will do well in terms of audience attendance, press and awards.”

Film Tickets are priced at $12 and can be purchased through www.nyfilmvideo.com. Tickets will also be available at the NYIIFVF box office during the festival. Media and distributors can obtain an all-access pass by faxing a request on company letterhead to (702) 361-6309 (attn. Nicole Holland).


Screening Details for Acquiring a Connection With the American Homeless
Location: Sunset Laemmle 5 in West Hollywood (Theater 4)
Address: 8000 Sunset Blvd.
Date: Saturday September 29 at 8pm
Running Time: 47minutes
Genre: True Reality Documentary
Full rights available



ABOUT PENNINGTON PALM PRODUCTIONS: Formed in 2001 and now headquartered in Lompoc, CA, Pennington Palm Productions is co-owned by Louell Crowley and Rodger James. Pennington Palm Productions is actively pursuing the issue of homelessness. Through the medium of films, reality shows and the media, the goal at Pennington Palm Productions is to transmit their message worldwide and help every country with this problem, beginning with the US. They are currently shooting a reality series featuring the homeless population in Santa Barbara, CA.