Angels on Diamond Street

Barbara, Mamie and pastor Renee are three incredibly strong women running The Advocate Cafe, the soup kitchen at the Church of the Advocate in North Philadelphia. When the undocumented Mexican family of Carmela Hernandez turns to the church for help, the women never hesitate: ‘Carmela’s story is our story.’

Petr Lom (On a Tightrope, Back to the Square) and Corinne van Egeraat follow the staff, volunteers and guests of The Advocate Cafe over the course of two years. This North Philadelphia soup kitchen was founded 34 years ago as a food programme by the Black Panther Party. The church still describes itself as an ‘activist congregation’.

When the undocumented Mexican family of Carmela Hernandez and her four children turn to the church for help, pastor Renee McKenzie risks imprisonment for housing them in the basement of her church. However, she’s never in doubt as to what is the right thing to do. ‘What’s the most important thing?’ she asks. ‘The most important thing is to provide care and protection.’ A film about attention, compassion, and ‘the power of giving back’.