HUNTINGTON, W. Va., April 26, 2005
Teen A Hero To The Homeless
Her Homemade Documentary Gives Dignity, Breaks Stereotypes
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Play CBS Video Video Teen Tackles Homelessness She's only 17, but with a homemade documentary, Francesca Karle has transformed the lives of many homeless people in her community. CBS News' Thalia Assuras reports.
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Video On The River's Edge An "American Hero of The Early Show," Francesca Karle, 17, made a documentary about the homeless in her community, and it's having a big impact. This is a clip of "On The River's Edge."
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Thalia Assuras, left, and Francesca Karle (CBS/The Early Show)
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The Early Show's American Hero on Tuesday is a young woman who sought to obtain her Gold Award by making a film documenting some of the people in her community. What Francesca Karle never imagined, reports
The film's premiere had all the fanfare of a blockbuster. But it was happening far from Hollywood, in Huntington, W.Va.
You wouldn't recognize the movie's stars. They're usually nameless, seldom noticed, often ignored.
And the director? Karle, 17, whose grainy, sometimes shaky film features many of the area's homeless. It was her first time as a director, and is earning rave reviews from her community.
"I couldn't believe it," Karle says. "They were saying my name like it was the Grammys or something. It felt really good."
Assuras says it all started on the banks of the Ohio River, where Karle interviewed most of the people in her documentary. After all, that's where they live.
Called "On The River's Edge," the film delves into the concealed camps and hidden lives of the normally reticent-to-talk homeless.
"It's hard," one homeless man says. "I mean, really hard when you get rained on. Everything's cold, wet, soaked, and dirty (and leaves you) looking like a tramp."
From each individual comes a different perspective.
"I'm six months pregnant," one homeless woman says. "I'm trying to get on my feet."
No situation is the same.
A man notes, "It ain't the world's fault, or the government, or nobody around me. It's because that's what I choose to do."
What did Karle want to accomplish with this film?
"I wanted to break stereotypes that all homeless people are alcoholics," she says. "And just show that it can happen to anybody. Like in my film. It showed that even a natural disaster could cause homelessness."
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