California Documentary Project
Homegirls
Urban Berney Foundation
Producer and Director: Isabel Vega
Once involved in gang life, young women get a chance at a new life
The young women were on the fast track to prison or the morgue when Father Gregory Boyle, the head of Homeboy Industries, an East Los Angeles–based gang intervention and rehabilitation program, gave them a chance at a better life. Now they work at the Homegirl Café in Boyle Heights. It’s Father Boyle’s latest venture in creating opportunities for young people who want to leave the old ways behind.
The cinema verité film follows a handful of the young women who work at the Homegirl Café as they go about their daily lives.
“The challenge for these girls is how they can survive their world of violence and crime and emerge into a world of prosperity and hope,” said Isabel Vega, producer and director of the film.
Added Father Boyle: “The restaurant work experience will give the homegirls — many once deeply involved in the gang lifestyle — a much-needed chance to turn their lives around.”