Senior Lawyers Committee Vice Chair Maria Antonatos shares the story of how she became an associate producer on “A Single Mother’s Struggle to Survive the Housing Crisis – Eviction, a Social Impact Film”
In 2020 I began watching “Invisible People” YouTube channel videos. Mark Horvath interviewed subjects he met on the streets and each interview ended with him asking “If you had three wishes what would they be?”
On Sunday nights “Invisible People” would hold a live chat so I began to look forward to Sunday nights. While in a live chat I learned of the social impact film “Mobile,” which was written and directed and produced by Luciana Faulhaber and a few others. Filming her aptly titled “Mobile” in a car was one way to keep costs low when working with a shoestring budget.
I loved “Mobile” and its message so much I knew I had to be a part of the next planned film in partnership with “Invisible People.” I have a young Gen Z relative who had just completed a degree in film and I looked forward to telling them I was involved in the making of a film. I decided to be a financial backer, along with others, who saw the importance of this work. Then the short film “Eviction,” which was set to come out some time in the fall of 2022, “premiered” on December 17, 2022. It is a 29-minute film telling the story of a mother and minor daughter. It serves to educate the public about challenges with housing families can face after a crisis in large part due to unaffordable housing prices.
It was also thrilling to share this filmmaker bond with my family’s younger generation!
As an attorney who has provided Pro Bono eviction services, I believe the plight of the unhoused needs to be heard and rectified. Asserting one’s rights under the law is a good way to find justice. For example, in its recent press release the Florida Justice Institute (FJI) informs it has brought suit against a municipality to challenge local Ordinances that make peaceful solicitations of donations a crime. FJI is working to end the criminalization of poverty in the state of Florida.
As an associate producer, I am pleased to present “Eviction” to the Senior Lawyers Committee and the general membership of The Florida Bar. I invite you to watch it on YouTube.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
In addition to being the associate producer of on “A Single Mother’s Struggle to Survive the Housing Crisis – Eviction, a Social Impact Film,“ Maria Antonatos is vice chair of the Senior Lawyers Committee and principal of Antonatos Law Firm, PLLC, in Coral Springs.