Indiegogo: https://www.igg.me/at/LuckyStreet
THE HOUSE ON LUCKY STREET
This newest short film was written by award-winning filmmaker, SHANI HECKMAN (Wrong Bathroom & America’s Most Unwanted) and blends documentary with fictional story-telling to tell this unique ghost story centered around displacement in San Francisco.
THE HOUSE ON LUCKY STREET is a short film about the last two residents in the haunted Victorian at 13 Lucky Street in San Francisco’s Mission District. The 100-year-old ghost, Carmelita Reyes, and the human resident, Matteo Florez, unite to fight their eviction. Along the way, Carmelita’s poltergeist reveals past stories of displacement through documentary footage informing Matteo of the importance of knowing our collective history in order to change our fate.
MY STORY TOO
Living in the Mission District over the past decade, and visiting the area for over twenty, I’ve witnessed major changes to my neighborhood. From dive bars and taqueria shacks closing down, converted to expensive small-plate restaurants to the new fancy clothing boutiques that long-time neighbors cannot afford, these new upgrades threaten the very cultures that made this City attractive!
A UNIVERSAL STORY
Around the world, cities are gentrifying. Brooklyn’s waterfront is now glass condos; Baltimore’s waterfront is full of chain stores; Philadelphia is being cleaned up as I type. This story is shared in many cities throughout the world in 2017, but San Francisco is the place where the greatest rent increases have occurred in the past 5 years.
Moving to another City is not an option for most people living on the margins of society, and many locals join the houseless ranks when their building sell. Ghosts too are affected, as gut-remodeling of these old apartments into single-family homes kills off these spirits.
Time is ticking for Carmelita and Matteo, as it is for their neighbors to find a way to stay in their home.
Writer/Director, SHANI HECKMAN’S past films have won awards and toured the world via the film festival market. Her short script, Double Secret, was a semi-finalist with ScreenCraft’s Script Competition in 2016. Her films have earned support from Horizons Foundation, Open Meadows Foundation and the San Francisco Arts Commission due to their social justice focus and diverse approach. She created the non-profit, Shanestar Productions, Inc. to ensure equity is a key focus of this media work.