Personal stories of NW families struggling to make ends meet and avoid foreclosure highlight need for community involvement to help Thurston County families stay in their homes
OLYMPIA – February 21, 2014 – (RealEstateRama) — The Washington State Attorney General’s Office and the Washington State Department of Financial Institutions are pleased to announce the screening of the foreclosure documentary American Winter in Olympia, Wash.
WHEN: February 25, 2014, doors open at 5:30 p.m., screening starts at 6:00 p.m.
WHERE: Capitol Theater, 206 5th Ave. SE, Olympia, Wash. 98501
This free event is open to the public. Registration is required at: http://americanwinterolympia.eventbrite.com.
The documentary, directed by Emmy Award-winning filmmakers Joe and Harry Gantz (Taxicab Confessions, The Defenders), follows the personal stories of eight families struggling in the wake of the economic downturn. Shot during the winter of 2011-12 in Portland, Ore., this powerful film reveals the human impact of budget cuts to social services, rising poverty and economic inequality, and the fracturing of the American Dream.
American Winter premiered on HBO in March 2013 and won Best Documentary Award at the Portland International Film Festival. Most recently, American Winter won “Best of the Festival” at the Workers Unite! Film Festival.
Special guest Rep. Tina Orwall, D-Des Moines, will welcome viewers at the beginning of the screening.
Guests are invited to stay following the film for a panel Q & A discussion with experts including:
• Bruce Neas: Foreclosure Project Coordinator at Columbia Legal Services and lead homeowner negotiator on the Foreclosure Fairness Act;
• Randy Lowell: Compliance and Program Director at Parkview Services; and
• Robert Jones: Financial Legal Examiner at Department of Financial Institutions.
This screening is brought to Washington state by the partners of the Pierce County Foreclosure Prevention Roundtable including: Seattle University School of Law’s Foreclosure Mediation & Outreach Project, Tacoma-Pierce County Bar Association’s Volunteer Legal Services Program and Home Justice Project, Thurston County Volunteer Legal Services, Northwest Justice Project’s Foreclosure Prevention Unit, Washington Attorney General Consumer Protection Division, Washington State Housing Finance Commission, Columbia Legal Services, Associated Ministries, Washington Department of Financial Institutions, Washington Association of Justice, South Sound Outreach, Parkview Services, Pierce County Center for Dispute Resolution, Puget Sound Mediation, and others including housing counselors, mediators, paralegals and attorneys.
