Behind The Stigma, Hearing Stanley's Story

Imagine losing everything - your family, your money, your home...your identity.

Often, those who have fallen the hardest and end up homeless become outcasts. To the rest of us, the label 'homeless' carries with it a stigma that can stop us seeing the people behind it. A new short film starring acclaimed Kenyan actor Oliver Litondo hopes to change all that.

The Truth About Stanley focuses on the friendship between the elderly Stanley and a young boy called Sam, both living rough. The film has been produced by Oscar-winning Trademark Films to raise money for homeless charity Anchor House and social enterprise The Big Issue.

More than just raising money, the film hopes to raise awareness of the lives behind the label, introducing us to individual characters who challenge our perceptions of homeless people. The film, which features music from Radiohead and Mumford and Sons, follows Sam and Stanley through the highs and lows of their lives on the street.

The film's director, Lucy Tcherniak, said that once they'd lost everything many homeless people have only one thing left: their imagination.

She said: "It’s possibly the only thing that can’t be taken away. And for Stanley,  that’s what gets him through."

Stanley tells Sam stories from his happier past and graphically but sympathetically illustrates his current problems. The relationship between the two allows the film to explore the challenges facing those living on the streets as well as the issues that got them there.

The film is a touching account of troubled lives that also includes moments of uplifting friendship between Sam and Stanley. Unlike many charity adverts this film pulls some of it's punches making it easy to empathise with the characters and be shocked by their suffering.

We've included the trailer below, to watch the full film, donate or learn more please go to the film's website here.