Taylor's Campaign
"Best documentary on homelessness in this era."
Directed and Edited by Richard Cohen
Narrated by Martin Sheen
Produced by Amy Kofman and Richard Cohen
Cinematography by Gil Kofman and Baird Bryant

An intensely gripping, surprisingly humorous and insightful look at
hardworking people living in cardboard lean-tos in Santa Monica,
California, dumpster diving for survival. 
When new laws jeopardize their civil rights, a destitute ex-truck driver
named Ron Taylor runs for Santa Monica city council. 
His candidacy becomes a quest for tolerance.
Taylor's Campaign tells the story of one community's treatment of people
who are homeless, yet "the film is a mirror of what is happening around the country" (Street Sheet, San Francisco). The issues of human dignity, civil rights, hunger, substance abuse, treatment by the criminal justice system,
hope vs. hopelessness are universal and poignantly conveyed.

"Excellent documentary" ... "cuts right to the heart of the plight of the homeless."     Kevin Thomas, THE LOS ANGELES TIMES 

"The brash honesty of Taylor's Campaign infuses the tragedy of homelessness with both humor and empathy. The film pulls viewers into the situation of the homeless, making us feel what it is like to be second-class citizens."     
Holly Payne, RELEASE PRINT "TROUBLE IN PARADISE"  

"Fascinating...this film is highly recommended for all collections."
LIBRARY JOURNAL, Kellie Flynn

     "My class discussions following the showing of this film have been among
the best discussions ever in my classes. 
The film provides rich material for discussion of the criminalization of
homelessness, the inaccuracies of stereotypes of the homeless, their struggles
for dignity, and the need for humane urban policy.
Few social problems have had so visible a place on the urban landscape
in the last decade as homelessness. 
Taylor's Campaign stands as the best documentary on homelessness in this era. 
It is an impressive work at the intersection of documentary film-making
and social research, and an invaluable resource for teaching about poverty.  
If there is one "must" film on homelessness for every sociology film library,
Taylor's Campaign is it."          
TEACHING SOCIOLOGY
Leon Anderson, Ohio University
co-author of DOWN ON THEIR LUCK    

"Quiet, heartfelt.... Taylor's Campaign is about civilized society's attempt to criminalize homelessness to the point
where the people on the streets are no longer human beings."
Joe Baltake, THE SACRAMENTO BEE

"Lively, compassionate...close-up views of the homeless
community are illuminating."     
David Sterritt, CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR

"Is it a crime to be poor? Do homeless people have rights? These are some questions raised implicitly by Richard Cohen's remarkable documentary.... 
Comparisons to The Grapes of Wrath are well deserved."
Kelly Vance, EXPRESS * Critics Choice (Berkeley,California)

"A rare opportunity to transform one's perceptions and by extension, our society."      Michael Fox, SF WEEKLY

"Extremely compelling...a wonderful resource for undergraduate and graduate students as well as researchers in anthropology, sociology, geography, social work, urban planning, public policy, and urban studies. This film illustrates several dimensions of homelessness in contemporary U.S. cities; it documents the everyday lives and routines of homeless persons, it illustrates the interaction between homeless persons, businesses, and social control agents (such as the police),
and it provides critique from various perspectives of the ways
that local government responds to the regional issue of homelessness."
Lois M. Takahashi, Prof. Urban and Regional Planning UC Irvine
author HOMELESSNESS, AIDS AND STIGMATIZATION

" The Grapes of Wrath for today, a stirring, uphill fight for justice."
Terry Messman, STREET SPIRIT


Special Jury Award , 1998 Big Muddy Film Festival

Directed, Edited,Written by Richard Cohen
Produced by Amy Ziering Kofman and Richard Cohen
Cinematography: by Gil Kofman and Baird Bryant
Narrated by: Martin Sheen 
A production of Raindog Films in association with Film Arts Foundation
1998 video release 
75 minutes