Private Project

Saving Jake

The true story of a hardworking orphan, the events in his life that lead him into homelessness and the friend who convinces him to find housing and hope.

Jake remembers his life before he was homeless, before he was crippled by an accident, a time when he had a wife, a home and good job. After years of living on the streets and camping in tents, Jake finally takes the advice of a friend and finds the courage to ask for help.

  • Katie Damien
    Director
  • Katie Damien
    Writer
  • Katie Damien
    Producer
  • Robby Ballard
    Key Cast
    "Jake"
  • Blaque Fowler
    Key Cast
    "Samuel"
    The Hunger Games, October Sky, Dirty Grandpa, Nashville
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Runtime:
    9 minutes 18 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    July 31, 2019
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Katie Damien

Katie Damien is an award-winning filmmaker with over a decade of commercial production and independent filmmaking experience, she has been awarded various accolades including eight Emmy Awards for her short form work, and both Gold and Mosaic American Advertising Federation awards.

“Joint Effort” a short film she produced and directed won the grand prize in an international competition, the National Film Challenge and screened at the Cannes Film Festival. Her short film “Hope” garnered awards from multiplet film festivals. Her first feature film, “My Toxic Backyard,” also won Best Documentary Film at the Greenpoint Film Festival and received 4 Emmy nominations.

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Director Statement

I hope that audiences will be as moved as I was when this true story was shared with me. So many people today are one catastrophe away from homelessness. There are homeless, hungry children living in the United States today. There are veterans who have been forgotten and left to fend for themselves. There are so many Americans suffering from mental illness that are simply lacking a support system in their lives and end up without a home. I hope that audiences will be inspired into action and that their negative notions and judgements around homelessness will shift toward empathy and understanding. Every homeless person has a story and every human has the right to live in doors.