‘Everyone Deserves A Place To Live’ – NOT FOR RENT! Documentary Film In Post-Production Phase
NOT FOR RENT!, our latest documentary film project is currently in the post-production and pre-release marketing phase. An April, 2017 release is planned. We’re excited to be promoting this eye-opening documentary film about people living with a felony record and the housing restrictions they face everyday in the United States. With new announcements from HUD earlier this year and talk of more rehabilitation rather than prison sentences, we feel this is a perfect time to release a film about former inmates and the challenges they face during community reentry.
Why produce a film about rental housing and ex-felons? Here are some stats that are worth reading:
- Ex-felons suffer a higher rate of homelessness.
- People convicted of certain sex offenses and drug crimes are
prohibited from public housing and Section 8. - Most apartment and condo complexes have strict
policies against renting to ex-felons. - Some states even have city-based policies that ban
ex-felons all together from certain housing options.
WE WANT MILLIONS OF PEOPLE TO SEE THIS FILM
As indie filmmakers we understand the challenges of promoting films. We never want our films to sit in a filing cabinet never to be seen again by the public. Instead, our goal at Metamora Films is to “transform hearts and minds through film“…and that includes short films and documentaries such as NOT FOR RENT! This film isn’t only for ex-felons and their families. The film can touch many other people that have felt discriminated against, shunned, banned or simply have faced unfair restrictions and policies.In hopes that countless people will see this film, we have started our internet promotion campaign. Our very first Facebook Giveaway contest has begun! Entries are free and the contest for a free custom “Fair Housing” t-shirt is available now until Sunday, Nov 27th. Hurry!
We plan to have a new contest every few weeks…so check our NOT FOR RENT! Facebook page often for updates…and LIKE the page.
We are also offering a cool “Flip Book” for free that details the film and the people involved. We plan to create more free flip books throughout the year for free download. Media can download our upcoming Electronic Press Kit (EPK) coming soon to our website.
Attorney General: Racist for landlords not to rent to felons!
As mentioned earlier, the time is right to release this film. It seems to us that there’s been more attention about rehabilitation of former inmates and ex-felons rather than harsh punishment. Whether you agree with this or not, the tide seems to be changing. Take for example a recent article from KIRO 7 News from Seattle, WA. Here the reporters discuss Disparate Impact:“A recent court filing indicates that the Washington State Attorney General’s Office believes that denying a prospective tenant with a felony conviction is racially discriminatory. The state explains that there is a discriminatory link between criminal history and restriction of housing:
“In Washington, racial disparities exist in the criminal justice system. African Americans are arrested, convicted, and incarcerated at higher rates than non-African Americans. As a result, criminal history restrictions on housing justified by a legitimate nondiscriminatory interest and is tailored … a housing provider’s blanket policy prohibiting tenants based on criminal history discriminates based on race or color.”Herman says that this explanation is based on a new theory called Disparate Impact, which was recently enshrined into law by the Supreme Court. He says that this leads to the assumption that if there are unequal outcomes between races, that tacit racism exists, even without any intent.” (© 2016 Cox Media Group)
Perhaps the biggest news came from HUD in April:
“Right now, many housing providers use the fact of a conviction, any conviction, regardless of what it was for or how long ago it happened, to indefinitely bar folks from housing opportunities,” Mr. Castro said in a statement. “Many people who are coming back to neighborhoods are only looking for a fair chance to be productive members, but blanket policies like this unfairly deny them that chance.”
SPREAD THE WORD
We want to thank all our supporters over the years. Though our films are mostly lower budget and have a smaller distribution, we will our films can still transforms and inspire positive and fair change. You can spread the word about our previous films and NOT FOR RENT! through our various social media pages.
Twitter: Metamora Films / Solitary Nation Podcast
Google+ Metamora Films / Solitary Nation Podcast
YouTube Metamora Films / Solitary Nation Podcast
Vimeo: Metamora Films / Solitary Nation Podcast
You can also spread the word about the film by hash tagging: #notforrentfilm
WEBER STATE UNIVERSITY SPONSOR
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| Weber State University, Ogden, Utah |
Our plans is to release the film at Weber State University in Ogden, Utah in April, 2017. We just heard from the University and Dr. Monica Williams, Assistant Professor, at the Criminal Justice Department today about their interest. We are very thankful for the college’s interest in sponsoring the official film release which will be open to the general public. We will keep you posted about this exciting turn of events and how you can get free tickets.
MIKE DEFIES THE ODDS
Mike McAinsh talks about his personal struggle to find rental housing after he spent 15 years in state prison. In NOT FOR RENT!, Mike discusses his unique path to stable housing and his desire to give back to the community. We are excited to learn that he was honored by the Ten East Senior Center 5th Annual Recycled Art Show. Mike won first place with his “Mother Mary” piece of art made from recycled metal scraps. You can read the article here. (PDF) |
| Mike McAinsh |
– Matt Duhamel, Filmmaker/Host
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