Boston-based film and television production company Wunderus is developing a one-of-a-kind film project written and directed by Mushen Kieta, centered on the voices of people from local shelters and recovery clinics. The production, now underway in Boston, transforms lived experience into art and redefines what community storytelling can look like.
Unlike traditional documentaries or dramatizations about life on the margins, this project invites participants to be collaborators rather than subjects. Each person involved is paid for their time and creative input, helping to shape a film that values authenticity and dignity over observation. “This isn’t exploitation. It’s collaboration,” the team shared in a recent statement.
Set in and inspired by the Massachusetts and Cass BLVD area, an intersection long associated with Boston’s homelessness and addiction crisis, the film aims to show the full humanity of those who live and gather there. These are parents, children, artists, and survivors whose stories have often been reduced to headlines or statistics. By working alongside them, Wunderus hopes to create something that changes how both the city and the wider public view this community.
The roots of Mass. and Cass’s challenges run deep. After the closure of Boston’s Long Island recovery facilities years ago, many people in need of housing and addiction services were displaced. The area evolved into what some have called the epicenter of the region’s opioid crisis. While city crews cleared encampments in 2023, the intersection continues to draw those seeking connection, support, or simply a place to exist.
Through this project, Wunderus is using storytelling as a bridge, to heal, to empower, and to remind audiences that visibility can be transformative. The film blends performance and reality, crafted with the people it represents, not about them. It’s a reminder that every face at that intersection carries a story worth telling.
An outdoor public screening is planned for the Boston community, inviting residents to witness what happens when art and empathy meet in the same frame.
