''Lost in America'' is a documentary

feature film A feature film or feature-length film is a narrative film (motion picture or "movie") with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole presentation in a commercial entertainment program. The term ''feature film'' originall ...

by director

Rotimi Rainwater Rotimi James Rainwater (born November 29, 1970) is an American writer, director, and producer. He is best known for the film Sugar, and the documentary Lost in America, both of which focus on homeless youth. Personal life Rainwater was born in ...

. The film aims to shine a light on the issue of homeless youth in the United States. It investigates the reasons youth become homeless, the challenges they face while on the streets and the possible ways to help them find homes and get off the street for good. The film includes appearances by singers

Jon Bon Jovi John Francis Bongiovi Jr. (born March 2, 1962), known professionally as Jon Bon Jovi, is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and actor. He is best known as the founder and frontman of the rock band Bon Jovi, which was formed in 1983. He ...

and Jewel, actors

Halle Berry Halle Maria Berry (; born Maria Halle Berry; August 14, 1966) is an American actress. She began her career as a model and entered several beauty contests, finishing as the first runner-up in the Miss USA pageant and coming in sixth in the Mis ...

Rosario Dawson Rosario Isabel Dawson (born May 9, 1979) is an American actress. She made her feature-film debut in the 1995 independent drama ''Kids''. Her subsequent film roles include '' He Got Game'' (1998), ''Josie and the Pussycats'' (2001), ''Men in Bl ...

and

Mike C. Manning Mike C. Manning is an American actor, producer, reality television personality and activist. Manning gained fame as a cast member on the MTV series ''The Real World: D.C.'' before subsequently embarking on an acting career, appearing in a number ...

(who is also a producer on the film) and US Senator

Patrick Leahy Patrick Joseph Leahy (; born March 31, 1940) is an American politician and attorney who is the senior United States senator from Vermont and serves as the president pro tempore of the United States Senate. A member of the Democratic Party, ...

. The film was shown out of competition at the

Bentonville Film Festival The Bentonville Film Festival (BFF) is an American film festival held annually in Bentonville, Arkansas that focuses on diversity. Foundation Bentonville Film Festival was founded by actress Geena Davis and ARC Entertainment executive Trevor Dr ...

. Jewel also wrote a track for the film, "No More Tears", which was subsequently included on her 2022 album ''

Freewheelin' Woman ''Freewheelin' Woman'' is the thirteenth studio album by American singer-songwriter Jewel, released on April 15, 2022, via her own label, Words Matter Media. It is Jewel's first album in seven years, following 2015's '' Picking Up the Pieces''. ...

'' as a duet with

Darius Rucker Darius Carlos Rucker (born May 13, 1966) is an American singer, guitarist, and songwriter. He first gained fame as the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of rock band Hootie & the Blowfish, which he founded in 1986 at the University of South Ca ...

. ''Lost in America'' is a continuation of Rotimi Rainwater's journey of shining the light on youth homelessness after directing the feature film ''

Sugar Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose, fructose, and galactose. Compound sugars, also called disaccharides or double ...

''.

Synopsis

''Lost in America'' follows the journey of formerly homeless director, Rotimi Rainwater, as he tries to accept and come to terms with his experience of being a homeless youth. He and his film crew travel the country interviewing homeless youth, organizations aimed to help them, and politicians to gain a better understanding of the issue of youth homelessness. The film looks at the challenges faced by homeless youth such as

sex trafficking Sex trafficking is human trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation. It has been called a form of modern slavery because of the way victims are forced into sexual acts non-consensually, in a form of sexual slavery. Perpetrators of the ...

, the failure of the

foster care system Foster care is a system in which a underage, minor has been placed into a ward (law), ward, group home (Residential Child Care Community, residential child care community, Treatment centre, treatment center, etc.), or private home of a state-ce ...

and the lack of acceptance of

LGBTQ ' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity. The LGBT term is a ...

kids.

Production

''Lost in America'' began production in 2013. Funding for the film was raised via crowdfunding site Indiegogo.

References

External links

* * Documentary films about homelessness in the United States 2018 films 2010s English-language films {{2010s-documentary-film-stub