Advance Screening Of '99 Homes' Thriller To Provide Much-Needed Funds For Local Homeless Shelter

ROYAL OAK (WWJ) - An advance screening of an upcoming feature film that puts homelessness in the spotlight will help bring awareness to the cause -- and provide funds for a local shelter.

"99 Homes" by Broad Green Films, chronicles the many challenges of a family facing foreclosure. An advance screening of the film is taking place in Royal Oak next week, and 100 percent of the ticket sales will benefit homeless shelters nationwide.

Ryan Hertz, President and CEO of the South Oakland Shelter, spoke with WWJ's Chrystal Knight about how he got involved in the project.

"The organization had created a program called 99 Good Deeds and they reached out to us," he said. "They heard about the work that we're doing to end homelessness in metro Detroit, and thought that it would be a good fit so we partnered up."

The screening will provide much-needed funds for the center, and even a little bit goes a long way.

"There are people with severe disabilities who have been homeless for long periods of time -- we provide permanent supportive housing, intensive case management and long-term support to help them improve their quality of life," said Hertz.

The advance charity screening takes place Wednesday Sept. 9 at 7 p.m. at the Landmark Main Art Theater in Royal Oak.

For more information or to purchase tickets, $10 each, click here.

The movie is set for a nationwide release on September 25. From the movie's website:

In this timely thriller, charismatic and ruthless businessman, Rick Carver (Academy nominee Michael Shannon), is making a killing by repossessing homes - gaming the real estate market, Wall Street banks and the US government. When he evicts Dennis Nash (Golden Globe nominee Andrew Garfield), a single father trying to care for his mother (Academy Award nominee Laura Dern) and young son (newcomer Noah Lomax), Nash becomes so desperate to provide for his family that he goes to work for Carver – the very man who evicted him in the first place. Carver promises Nash a way to regain his home and earn security for his family, but slyly seduces him into a lifestyle of wealth and glamour. It is a deal-with-the-devil that comes with an increasingly high cost - on Carver's orders, Nash must evict families from their homes. As Nash falls deeper into Carver's web, he finds his situation grows more brutal and dangerous than he ever imagined.