Community Cinema Presents "The Homestretch" Free Screening/Discussion

This film follows three homeless teens as they fight to stay in school, graduate, and build a future.

WXXI's Community Cinema series is pleased to present a free screening of The Homestretch on Monday, March 30, 2015 at 7 p.m. at the Little Theatre. The Homestretch follows three homeless teens as they fight to stay in school, graduate, and build a future. Each of these smart, ambitious youths — Roque, Kasey, and Anthony — will surprise, inspire, and challenge audiences to rethink stereotypes of homelessness as they work to complete their education while facing the trauma of being alone and abandoned at an early age. While told through a personal perspective, their stories connect with larger issues of poverty, race, juvenile justice, immigration, foster care, and LGBTQ rights. The film will be followed by a panel discussion facilitated by Michelle Faust, WXXI News.

Panelists will include:

Dr. Elaine Spaull, Executive Director, Center for Youth, Inc.
Dr. Seanelle "Sean" Tracy, Executive Director at Quad A for Kids, Rochester Area Community Foundation
Eric Soublet, Program Manager for the New Beginning House.

The Homestretch is part of WXXI's American Graduate: Let’s Make It Happen, a public media initiative made possible by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting to help local communities across America keep more students on the path to graduation. Learn more: The Homestretch website at Independent Lens.

Video Preview:

WXXI's Community Cinema series features films from the Emmy Award-winning PBS series, Independent Lens. The screenings, held at the Little Theatre (240 East Avenue, Rochester, NY), will be followed by lively panel discussions to encourage dialogue and action around important and timely social issues. These events are free, open to the public, and reservations are not required.

Special thanks to Henry Metzger for coordinating panelists for this film and the entire Community Cinema series.

Community Cinema is presented by ITVS and funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people with additional support from the National Endowment for the Arts.

This program is part of WXXI's American Graduate: Let's Make It Happen Initiative: Learn more at: http://wxxi.org/grad

Additional Support is Provided by: