Former Centralian Jason Smith, who now resides in Arizona after a career as an emergency medical technician, will be debuting his documentary, “Miles of Kindness,” this Sunday at McFiler’s Chehalis Theater.
The film will have two screenings on July 23, the first at 1 p.m and the second at 5 p.m. Both are free to attend, though donations for The Salvation Army will be accepted. McFiler’s Chehalis Theater is located at 558 N. Market Blvd.
Smith decided to go on a road trip as part of his therapy after he received a $10,000 settlement check resulting from injuries suffered while driving an ambulance. He was involved in a multi-car collision after a driver who was high on cocaine ran a red light in a residential neighborhood in Phoenix at 85 miles per hour.
He bought a van, fixed it up and set out on a nearly 18,000-mile trip, traveling through 42 states and over 100 major U.S. cities with the goal of getting by on the generosity of others.
During his time as an EMT, he frequently worked with those experiencing homelessness and wanted to document the many paths leading to living on the streets as well as the many issues homeless people face on a daily basis.
Once on the road, he filmed his entire trip, and went to places including Skid Row in Los Angeles, Tenderloin in San Francisco and Eight Mile in Detroit. His documentary debuted originally in Arizona last June.
“We had several hundred people show up, not a dry eye in the building. Many people either spoke with me or sent messages saying that it was the best documentary film that they have ever seen. Just real, raw and in the moment,” Smith said.
For more information, and to contact Smith, visit the Facebook page where he chronicled his trip at https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100047774871640.
Read The Chronicle's story about the documentary here: https://www.chronline.com/stories/miles-of-kindness-former-centralia-man-to-debut-documentary-on-homelessness-after,317095
