God’s Promises Mean Everything spans seven years in the life of Derek, a homeless hostel resident who lives in Teesside in the North East of England – an area that has a rich industrial history and was formerly a major iron and steel hub. After being granted permission by the hostel, he visited Derek 1-2 times a month – to drop off food or hang out, talk or just listen to music. Through these visits, this time spent in each others’ company became essential to the work and allowed a unique fully collaborative project to develop.
God’s Promises Mean Everything is an immersive long-term character portrait that extends over a number of years, but limits its perspective to a single room. Haunted by the spectre of the family he lost, Derek lives without the safety nets many of us take for granted. Significant life choices – involving financial difficulties, mental and physical health – are always close to the surface.
God’s Promises Mean Everything reveals the unsettling fragility in the connections that make up our everyday experience. It is a personal, empathetic portrait of a man trapped in difficult circumstances. A story of disconnection and loss, but also of survival and daily rebellion.
Mark Chapman
Mark Chapman is a photographer and filmmaker from North East, England. His award-winning moving image work has screened internationally including Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival, Edinburgh International Film Festival, Uppsala International Film Festival, IKFF Hamburg, Sao Paulo International Short Film Festival and Jihlava International Documentary Festival. His photographic work has appeared in numerous group gallery shows and magazines. He is also an alumnus of industry development programmes at Berlin Film Festival and London Film Festival. He teaches at University of Greenwich and has a PhD in Film Practice.
www.mark-chapman.co.uk
@markchapmanuk
