Charles Wilkinson arrived in 麻豆传媒映画in 1969 fuelled by idealism and a search for community.
His first order of business was to jump into the waters off Spanish Banks, a pivotal moment for the then 16-year-old Calgary native.
鈥淚 felt like I was home,鈥� he said.
Those are fleeting feelings in today鈥檚 Vancouver. Instead, fear, greed and the very real prospect of homelessness are everyday talking points.
How we got here is the genesis for Wilkinson鈥檚 latest film, No Fixed Address, which screens at the DOXA Festival, which kicks of May 4, and makes its theatrical debut in 麻豆传媒映画starting May 19.
No Fixed Address examines Vancouver鈥檚 housing bubble, its cross-generational impact and the precursors to the perfect housing storm. Mayor Gregor Robertson, developer Bob Rennie, Senator Yuen Pau Woo, scientist/activist David Suzuki and Province journalist Sam Cooper are among those Wilkinson interviewed for the film.
鈥淭he approach that I take is pretty much the opposite of talk radio, which is usually characterized by uninformed opinions that are angrily expressed,鈥� Wilkinson said. 鈥淲hat I do is seek out people who actually know what a specific topic is about and they express it in a calm, rational way.鈥�
The film鈥檚 narrative is separated into specific chapters that take on topics in a compartmentalized manner. Each factor is examined individually, but is part of the bigger puzzle: race, the boom, the backstory and the money, among others.
As the film unfolds, paradise is placed right next to paradox. One scene shows a lengthy queue of residents lining up out front of a high-end restaurant as they wait for a table. They are surrounded by homeless people.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not that people don鈥檛 care, it鈥檚 not that we鈥檙e indifferent,鈥� Wilkinson said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 just that we feel such a sense of hopelessness that we don鈥檛 know how to attack that.鈥� 聽
The sobering factoids continue: Wilkinson was also told by Cooper and other journalists that 麻豆传媒映画is one of the top three cities in the world for money laundering; up to 90 per cent of the city鈥檚 condos are purchased on speculation, with investors expressing no desire to ever live here.
鈥淭hat is absolutely devastating. It鈥檚 just jaw dropping,鈥� Wilkinson said. 鈥淪o many people are deeply concerned about losing their homes.鈥� 聽
While there鈥檚 doom and gloom throughout, the film isn鈥檛 all darkness. Wilkinson interviewed a household of five East Van millennials who are quite content with the situation. Described as all highly educated and under the age of the 30, the five tenants pay less in rent than most do on wine in a given month.
鈥淭hey鈥檝e seen more of the world in one year than I have in my entire life,鈥� Wilkinson said.
Wilkinson lived in 麻豆传媒映画for decades before re-locating to Deep Cove about 20 years ago. He鈥檚 watched the housing crisis unfold first-hand and there鈥檚 plenty of blame to go around.
鈥淭he fundamental cause of this is a finger that鈥檚 being pointed at all of us because we have been sold, or enthusiastically adopted, a style of life that is just so completely unsustainable,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e鈥檝e exploited our resources in a way that鈥檚 been unsustainable. Those resources are gone. The easy stuff is gone. Once you sell the land, it鈥檚 gone forever.鈥�
Details at .
The 麻豆传媒映画premier of No Fixed Address is May 6. Its two-week run at Vancity Theatre kicks off May 19.
@JohnKurucz
