Vermonters on screen: ‘Just Getting By’ documentary comes to Waterbury April 13-14

March 21, 2024  |  By Waterbury Roundabout 

Faces of Vermonters in the documentary film 'Just Getting By.' Courtesy photos

The timely new documentary film by Bess O’Brien, “Just Getting By,” turns the camera on Vermonters living with housing and food insecurity and its tour around the state will bring it to Waterbury Center on Saturday-Sunday, April 13-14. 

The Grange Hall Cultural Center and Across Roads Center for the Arts present this latest creation from Kingdom County Productions.

Vermont has the second highest rate of homeless people in the United States, after California. One-third of Vermonters struggle to put food on the table. These issues are in the headlines daily and “Just Getting By,” focuses on the people behind the headlines and statistics.

Film poster courtesy Kingdom County Productions

“We hope by touring the film across the state that we can raise consciousness about these pressing issues of food and housing insecurity with Vermont audiences,” O’Brien said.

The film tells the stories of working families, those who are homeless and relying on food shelves and soup kitchens, and people living in temporary hotel/motel programs. It includes the stories of New Americans grappling with the cost of living in America, Native people creating innovative farming practices, and those who work in social services assisting fellow Vermonters in need.

Director O’Brien and cinematographer Patrick Kennedy shot the film in 2022-23. “We wanted to capture the day-to-day lives of Vermonters who were living paycheck to paycheck and who were struggling to keep food on the table and a roof over their head,” O’Brien said. “We also wanted to show the incredible resiliency and courage of folks who have very little and still manage to get up every day and strive for a better life.” 

Screenings will be at 7 p.m. on Saturday, April 13, and at 3 p.m. on Sunday, April 14 at the Grange Hall Cultural Center, 317 Howard Ave. Tickets: $15 suggested donation at the door or online at sevendaystickets.com/events/just-getting-by. Grange Hall contact for more information: grangehallcc@gmail.com or 802-244-4168. For more information about the film visit kingdomcounty.org. 

Grange Hall Cultural Center film screenings are sponsored by Across Roads Center for the Arts, Revitalizing Waterbury and ReSource/Habitat for Humanity. 

Read more about “Just Getting By” in recent coverage by VTDigger and The Times Argus.