“Spare and moving...”
"EVEN IN DARKNESS"
Duration: 26 min 12 sec
Director / Editor: James Hosking
Producers: Jeremy Lybarger & James Hosking
Director of Photography: Vanessa Carr (Heroin: Cape Cod, Warning: This Drug May Kill You, T-Rex)
Sound Design: Dave Nelson (True Conviction, My Best Fiend, Little Dieter Needs to Fly)
Re-Recording Mixer: Miik Dinko (Video Games: The Movie, Welcome to Nollywood)
Composer: Matthew Atticus Berger (Tales of the Grim Sleeper)
Animation / Title Design: Carlo A Flores
Every night between 10 PM and 4 AM Reverend Lyle Beckman walks the streets of San Francisco. He's the city's Night Minister, the fourth man to hold the job since 1964. In his encounters with the homeless, addicts, sex workers, and those in need, Beckman seeks to comfort rather than convert. The film is a witness to intimate interactions—and a side of the city—that few people ever see. Even In Darkness explores questions of faith, the necessity of interpersonal contact, and the power of empathy.
The film premiered at the 2017 20th Annual United Nations Association Film Fest. The Atlantic’s CityLab discusses the film here.
The project was the recipient of a 2015 Endeavor Foundation for the Arts Grant, supporting the arts in the LGBTQ community. The project was also a beneficiary of the Grants for the Arts’ 2016 San Francisco Neighborhood Arts Collaborative Grant in conjunction with the Tenderloin Museum. The Tenderloin Museum hosted a screening in Fall 2017.
Night Minister Lyle Beckman answers the Crisis Line, Photo © James Hosking
Olivia on Turk Street, after speaking with Lyle © James Hosking
Night Minister Lyle Beckman in St. Mark's Church, San Francisco, Photo © James Hosking