HomeGirls

Recovering Addicts Seek Redemption

Homeboy Industries, the world's largest gang intervention and re-entry organization, offers an unparalleled 18-month job-training program for recovering drug addicts and ex-gang members. The short documentary HOMEGIRLS intimately follows the lives of two of the programs' female participants, Maria and Joselyn, over four months as they attempt to leave the past behind and start anew.

Through cinema verite filmmaking, our complex subjects face daily trials and tribulations. As Joselyn undergoes painful tattoo removal, and Maria tries to reconnect with her son at his birthday party, we witness their utter vulnerability, anger, defiance, and guilt. As they seek redemption from past demons, repair relationships with family, and attempt to transform their lives, the only certainty about their future is that the road to recovery is a constant uphill battle.

Audience Award Winner and Jury Award Winner of Best Documentary Film at the California Women's Film Festival.