12 Months: A Story of Compassion and Change - Black History Month Screening

Join us at Shoe Lane Library during Black History Month to experience 12 Months, the award-winning documentary about one man’s extraordinary act - renting his home to a struggling family for just $1 a month. An inspiring tale of compassion, resilience and community. After the 64-minute screening, join award-winning director Charysse Tia Harper for a Q&A.

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Synopsis of 12 Months

12 Months is an award-winning documentary about a Los Angeles man who rents his three-bedroom home for $1 per month to help a family he has never met get on their feet. Told through the eyes of Felicia Dukes and her four children, the project puts a personal face on homelessness and encourages individuals to take personal responsibility for helping address societal concerns. This film has won Best Documentary at the Sunrise Film Festival in Nova Scotia, Canada, in October 2015, and has been screened within film festivals in over 15 global locations.Winner of Best Documentary at Sunrise Film Festival 2015.

Length of Project: 64 minutes and 43 seconds

Director: Charysse Tia Harper

Being a dual citizen of the United States and Trinidad & Tobago, Charysse Tia Harper has focused projects on her Trinidad culture: award-winning film, The Other Side of Carnival; T&T 50 in Fifteen and Panomundo Part 1: The Evolution of the Steelpan and Part 2: Pan Worldwide; and on her American identity: award-winning documentary, 12 Months, First Weekend February and Insurance: Putting Newark on the Map. She created Xplore the World in 2010 to further this mission.

Charysse holds BA degrees in Cinema and Journalism, an MA in Management/Leadership and International Relations and MSc in International Diplomacy and Security. Under Xplore the World, she has worked with various organizations, including the American Red Cross, British Film Institute, National Health System (NHS) and CNC 3 (national news network of Trinidad & Tobago). This coincides with her love of experiencing new cultures and meeting new people as she has lived in Trinidad & Tobago, the United States and United Kingdom.

Amidst the Covid-19 lockdown, Charysse made The Jill of the Trade (2021), a documentary short that highlights women from around the world who work in male-dominated industries. It won Best Documentary at Conch Shell International Film Festival and received an honorable mention at Fem Film Festival. Charysse is in the development stage of Las Matadoras, a feature-length documentary about three female bullfighters. She is also the producer of an ongoing Nigerian miniseries, Not In Our Culture, which showcases unique tribal customs in the country. Charysse currently resides in London.

Host or Publisher Shoe Lane Library - City of London Libraries