Giving street kids a voice

SHIVANGI-AMBANI GANDHI reports on an Indian filmmaker who captures the stories of street kids in Cairns.

The mention of Cairns immediately brings to mind the golden sunshine, beautiful blue waters and the underwater wonders of the Great Barrier Reef. However, underneath this paradise-like façade is the sobering census information from the year 2006 showing that close to 15,000 people in Carins are homeless.

Of these, the worst of the victims are the street kids, forced to sell their bodies to paedophiles for enough money to buy food. One everyday hero, Dr. Harald Falge has been working for the past 18 years to provide these children food, advice, compassion, and very soon, even shelter. And Indian-origin director Vijaykumar Mirchandani, has captured the story on camera in a new documentary, Where the Streets Have no Name.

“I was reading through the information about winners of the Australia Day awards and found Dr. Falge’s story very interesting,” says Mirchandani.

The film traces the journey of Dr. Falge, with his initial humble efforts, making meals at home to distribute to street kids, to the establishment of Street Level Youth Care – an organisation through which the Cairns community contributes towards alleviating the problems of the homeless.

The narrative documentary captures the story through a series of interviews with Dr. Falge, volunteers of Street Level Youth Care, government officials, and of course, the street children themselves.

“Before the making of the documentary, Harald said to me, ‘I will share my story and give you all the material. However, I cannot guarantee that you will be able to get the street kids on camera’,” reveals Mirchandani. “Many of these kids have run away from home or have other reasons for not wanting to reveal their identity or their whereabouts.”

It took a gradual build-up of trust, before the kids would share their stories, Mirchandani can now reveal. “I gave them the example of Slumdog Millionaire. I told them, ‘You can be a Slumdog Millionaire – you can be a voice for other street kids’.”

He was finally able to break the ice and some of the most potent moments of the film are when the kids talk about the time they have spent on the street, especially when they reveal the spaces they occupied to sleep – from abandoned cars, to clearings in the bush. “I had to explain to them that I would not reveal the specific location, but I needed to show the conditions under which they survived,” says Mirchandani.

The film shows that the food that Dr. Falge offered the kids was only a small portion of his commitment to the street kids. More importantly, many of these kids just need advice, hope, and someone who listens to them, without judging them. The film ends on a high note of interviews with kids who with the help of Street Level Youth Care, have managed to move off the streets and begin a normal life.

Besides invaluable support from the Cairns community, the volunteer crew and Metro Screen Australia, the film was also supported by songwriters, composers and singers (including Ursula Yoich) who provided seven soundtracks to the film for free.

Although the film has had no success with film festivals in Australia, it has been screened at the Michigan Film Festival in May earlier this year, and is due for screening at the Bliss Festival in Colorado and the Phoenix International Christian Festival.

Mirchandani, who has been a seasoned television professional for the past 15-years, says that he is now committed to making documentaries on social issues that create awareness.

“I am working on documentaries about autism, dyslexia and one about a home for destitute women seamstresses. I want to bring some meaning to my work and do something for society.”

 To make a donation towards a new home for the homeless kids in Cairns, please visit: www.haraldshouse.com