New Jersey Stage published its 25,000th story in December 2021. As the site approached the milestone, we posed the question on social media as how we should celebrate. One response was to highlight our favorite stories from over the years. We liked this idea, but could not narrow things down to just 25 favorites so we will present a favorite each day from different genres. Every Wednesday will feature a story about film. This week's choice is a feature on the film Destiny's Bridge 2016 by Jack Ballo, which captures the raw, natural action and dialogue of 80 homeless people and their caregiver, Minister Steve Brigham, who all live in tents in an encampment in the woods of Lakewood NJ, known as Tent City.
The feature was published on July 21, 2016 and is available here. Destiny’s Bridge---the concept, is a plan that offers a solution to homelessness: a plot of land with affordable tiny houses where poor people can live with dignity in a safe and permanent place of their own to call home. The idea of a tiny house community includes on site access to social services, health services, job training and other programs that could facilitate the residents’ integration into mainstream society.
Ballo describes the film’s journey: “It all started with a 2013 version of Destiny’s Bridge that was never officially released. However, we did screen it at theaters, colleges and film festivals throughout the tri-state area. And as we were screening the film, the story at Tent City grew more intense. So I just kept filming, as a new version of the movie unfolded right in front of me, with a riveting ending that nobody expected.”
