Stories in the Shadows - Documentary Films
SYNOPSIS
At ShadowPower, we make documentary films that fuse the ancient practice of community-based storytelling with the hypnotic power of moving image and sound.
We strive to make our films different. We seek stories that many of us attempt to keep in the shadows – addiction, homelessness, abuse, racism, sexism. Stories like Mary's - who traveled through foster care, homelessness and addiction, only to dedicate her life to tending to an urban farm staffed with foster youth. Stories like Pablo's - a recovering alcoholic and sole-repairer turned soul-repairer.
These stories live in the dark! Not only do we believe they desperately need to see the light of day, but we believe, more fundamentally, that we need the light of them.
Rather than focus solely on the struggle and the pain, our storytelling reveals how life’s “negative” experiences often hold the most potent and precious lessons. We document those stories and the wisdom that lies within.
Our mission as storytellers is to look beneath the shadows and to unearth the light. You can help us do our work.
BACKGROUND
ShadowPower is a film & media production company, with a passion for documentary film. Our founders have traversed addiction, homelessness, powerlessness and pain, and come out the other side with a devotion to healing through story.
We find others like us, who have walked through some of the most challenging life experiences, and have transformed them into healing - for themselves and for others. We help tell these stories, to honor the wisdom of those who tell them and inspire others on their own path.
We actively mine the darkness for human truths – weakness, strength, hope, futility, pain, grace, and beauty. We recognize, often from our own experience, that some of the most potent and precious lessons come from out of the darkest places, and are revealed from behind the shadows. We at ShadowPower see these stories and we want to help share them.
WHAT STORIES HAVE WE ALREADY TOLD?
We have already begun our storytelling journey. Here are some samples of our work:
Pablo’s Story
Sometimes our best laid plans go awry, for reasons we cannot understand. A tender portrait of a cobbler, recovering alcoholic and sole-repairer turned soul-repairer, who finds his life path in his darkest moment. Watch this video here
Support4Recovery
Recovery can be a long road out of darkness. When people share the journey, both in community and through story, the burden is shared and light revealed. In these intimate conversations, we learn of a few such journeys. Watch this video here.
WHAT STORIES ARE UNDERWAY?
We need your support to tell more stories that bring healing, inspiration, and light.
Here are the stories we are working on now.
Mary's Story
A gritty portrait of a former foster youth, who traveled the country, traversed homelessness and tackled addiction. Share her incredible story of finding meaning and life purpose tending to the land, and fellow foster youth. She now runs an urban farm growing fresh produce in a food desert.
The Unhoused Compassion Project
How can we change minds and hearts regarding the most overlooked and marginalized amongst us? Take part in a novel program in which the housed and unhoused meet to find common ground in the most unexpected of places.
Finding Home: A Series
Journey into hidden populations of homelessness and the insurmountable challenges the unhoused face in getting back on their feet.
'My Story': A Series
Revealing our shared humanity through personal vignettes, 'My Story' is an ongoing series examining the trials and travails of those on the outskirts of society – and what they have to teach us.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
If you have ever felt unseen, afraid to tell your story, or sure you’ll be judged or ignored, this is your chance to support those who share your experience.
To do our work, we need your voice and your support. You can add your story here or share our work with others.
And contribute! All contributions go directly to capturing community stories – pre-production planning, production filming and post-production editing and distribution.
If you feel called to dedicate your donation to a specific upcoming project, let us know!
WHAT YOU GET:
$10+ - A social media shoutout
$100+ - Thank you in the credits (and everything above)
$500+ - Credit as an Associate Producer + a ShadowPower logo water bottle (and everything above)
$1,000+ - Private link before anyone else (and everything above)
$5,000+ - Credit as an Executive Producer (and everything above)
Any contribution you make also gives you a piece of the power to impact a life. We believe in the power of story to change lives - ours and others. The unhoused person, the foster youth, the addict – each hold brilliance and potential to change our world.
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