A FILM highlighting homelessness in the county town will be screening as part of the Dorchester Festival.

Out In The Open – Sleeping Rough in a Dorset Town shares the stories of homeless and vulnerably housed people in Dorchester.

The film will be premiered at The Plaza Cinema, Trinity Street, with a live band performing an improvised soundtrack.

Kathie Prince, musical producer on the project, said: “Dorchester is surrounded by beautiful countryside and steeped in history.

“It’s a destination for holidaymakers and those escaping the hustle and bustle of the big cities to experience the rural idyll.

“It also has a homeless and vulnerably housed community.

“Some pass through the town, including the so-called Road Men, whilst others sleep rough for longer periods of time, often going unnoticed by the wider community.” The project was commissioned by the Solo Trust, a Dorchester charity, and was created by members of the local community. It is focused on homelessness and based around the Hub, a drop-in centre for rough sleepers in Dor-chester.

Mrs Prince said: “In the last few years several members of the homeless and vulnerably housed community in Dorchester have died, including one of those people involved in our project. “This project is dedicated to him and all those people affected by homelessness.

“It’s a precarious existence with its roots in marital breakdown, unemployment, drug and alcohol abuse and chronic mental health issues.

“The situation is getting worse in the UK. It could happen to any one of us.”

Clive Whaley, a Bridport filmmaker, Peter Snelling, a visual artist, and Adrian Newton, a sound artist, were also part of the team in residence at the Hub.

Mrs Prince said: “The brief was to give a voice to the voiceless, to bring the issues of homelessness out into the open.

“The result is extraordinarily candid and moving accounts of life lived out in the open.”

What's on

• Thursday, May 31 at 7.30pm Press Launch Plaza Cinema Trinity Street, Dorchester.

• Friday, June 1 at 10.30pm at the Plaza Cinema in Dorchester.

• Saturday, June 2 at 5pm Dorchester Market Car Park, in the open.

Out in the Open Visual Installation, Dorchester town centre from Monday, May 29.