RISE
Directed by Hannah Byrd
Not everyone gets the white picket fence.
“As of January 2019, Michigan had an estimated 8,575 experiencing homelessness on any given day.” –United States Interagency Council on Homelessness.
Nationwide there were a total of 35,193 public school students facing homelessness. One of them was Ryan Griffus.
For the first time in a long time, Ryan decides to venture back to his hometown, St. Charles, Michigan. It's a small place with a population just shy of 2,000 and for him, a place marked by abuse and unmet answers. He decides to retrace his past, chronologically, location by location, with a film crew in his back seat.
From the kid living in a brothel to the homeless high school football star to the director of Isabella County Restoration House, he takes a ride of his life to grapple with his past to understand his present and how it affects his future.
Coming soon!
Currently in the festival circuit.
Awards & Achievements











