Private Project

Down in Suntown: San Diego's Homeless

"Down in Suntown: San Diego's Homeless" is a documentary film from director/producer Corey B. Stevens and host/producer Michael Potter that explores different opinions and viewpoints on homeless life and issues pertaining to drug/alcohol abuse, mental illness, police interaction, possible solutions, and some of the help available to the homeless in San Diego, CA.

Corey and Michael take you deep inside to present riveting, candid interviews with homeless persons, owners of non-profit organizations, attorneys, church leaders, concerned citizens, and more. This film is sure to be an eye opener for many and is intended to help bring awareness and discussion about an important issue that affects all of us.

  • Corey B. Stevens
    Director
    Your Day is Gonna Come, Kung Pow Charlie
  • Corey B. Stevens
    Writer
    Your Day is Gonna Come, Kung Pow Charlie
  • Corey B. Stevens
    Producer
    Kung Pow Charlie
  • Michael Potter
    Producer
  • Corey B. Stevens
    Cinematography
    Your Day is Gonna Come, Kung Pow Charlie
  • Corey B. Stevens
    Music
    Your Day is Gonna Come, Kung Pow Charlie
  • Michael Potter
    Concept
  • Michael Potter
    Key Cast
  • C.C. the Crazy Canadian
    Key Cast
  • Ellis Gunner Pickerington
    Key Cast
  • Jorge
    Key Cast
  • Itchy
    Key Cast
  • Timmy
    Key Cast
  • Jane
    Key Cast
  • Johnny Needles
    Key Cast
  • Daniel
    Key Cast
  • Sierra
    Key Cast
  • Hannah Wilder
    Key Cast
  • Jeffery Sitcov
    Key Cast
  • Steve Binder
    Key Cast
  • Glyn Franks
    Key Cast
  • Bob West
    Key Cast
  • Frank Gormlie
    Key Cast
  • Darin Wilkison
    Key Cast
  • Man on the Street
    Key Cast
  • Project Type:
    Documentary
  • Genres:
    Social Documentary, Run and Gun, Educational
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 48 minutes 50 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    February 25, 2016
  • Production Budget:
    2,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Corey B. Stevens

Corey B. Stevens first tried his hand at filmmaking in 2013 and hasn’t looked back since. His unique set of skills lend themselves well to independent film work where there usually isn’t enough money to hire an army of people to make a movie. Corey has been a songwriter and musician since the age of six and is proficient on many instruments including guitar, piano, bass, and drums. He is a certified audio engineer and is working toward a degree in computer science. He is also a painter and has cranked out nearly 75 oil paintings in the past few years. He has completed numerous screenplays and three feature length films. When making a film Corey always wears many different hats from writer to director to cameraman to composer to editor and even does graphic design and manufacturing. He is driven by a need to create art of any kind and is never afraid to put himself in the line of fire to get the job done.

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Director Statement

Making this film was an eye opening experience for both me and the film’s host Michael Potter. The main challenge we faced was simply fear of the unknown. When you find yourself following a homeless man down underneath a bridge where he lives to interview him, a lot of questions form in your mind. The most common question I asked myself was “Is this safe?” You just never know who you are getting involved with and what their intentions might be.

I am happy to say that through the course of eleven months of filming nearly everyone we approached welcomed us with open arms and were happy to talk on camera. Only one time were we ever threatened and this was by one person who was not happy to see us walking around with cameras at his campground. I can’t say I blame him. There definitely are some bad seeds out there, but we were fortunate enough to only come in contact with basically good people.

I can only hope this film can do for others what it has done for me. It has given me a greater understanding of what people on the street go through, what caused them to be homeless, and has inspired some fear as I realize just how easy it is to find yourself with nowhere to go. Homelessness is an extremely complex issue that cannot be fixed or even covered completely by one film, but hopefully this project can help promote discussion and awareness among other members of the community whose ideas could lead to improvements in the homeless situation here in San Diego and all across the globe.