Poverty and Politics
Local director Linas Phillips shares his intimate encounters with homelessness
By Seattle Mag December 31, 1969
Category: Arts + Events Articles
12/5–12/11 • Seattle International Film Festival audiences will remember director Linas Phillips’ 2006 documentary, Walking to Werner, in which the filmmaker walked 1,200 miles from Seattle to Los Angeles to meet his idol, Werner Herzog. For his second documentary, Great Speeches from a Dying World (which debuted at SIFF earlier this year), Phillips embarked on yet another journey fueled by curiosity and a dash of self-obsession. For his latest work, the filmmaker spent two years getting to know 10 homeless Seattleites, diving into the trenches of their day-to-day routines—including visits to seedy motel rooms and urban encampments. Along the way, Phillips also delivers a healthy dose of the unexpected as he asks his subjects to read famous speeches from history. The result is a touching, if not enlightening, glimpse at a too-often ignored slice of modern life. Times and prices vary. Northwest Film Forum, 1515 12th Ave.; 206.267.5380; nwfilmforum.org.