The Homestretch follows three remarkable homeless teens as they fight to stay in school, graduate, and build a more stable future. Each of these smart, resilient teenagers – Roque, Kasey, and Anthony – challenge stereotypes of homelessness as they work to complete their education while coping with the trauma of being alone and abandoned at an early age.
Through haunting images, intimate scenes, and first-person narratives, these teens take us on their journeys of struggle and triumph. As their stories unfold, the film explores their plights within the larger issues of poverty, race, juvenile justice, immigration, foster care, and LGBTQ rights. The Homestretch is part of American Graduate: Let’s Make It Happen, a public media initiative supported by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting to help local communities across America address the high school dropout crisis.

Sponsors: Institute for Policy Studies, Community Cinema [DC], ITVS, WHUT, Busboys and Poets, Center for Media & Social Impact, and Hill Center at the Old Naval Hospital.

Making reservations is recommended.

Community Cinema is a free monthly screening series, featuring sneak peeks of films from the Emmy Award-winning PBS series Independent Lens. In over 65 cities nationwide, screenings are followed by lively panel discussions that bring together citizens, organizations and public television stations to encourage dialogue and action around important and timely social issues.