In San Francisco, a man enduring homelessness for two decades connects with passersby to be seen among the invisible—a skill he learned from a promising music career cut short in the ’70s, and one that will ultimately transform his life.
Filmed over the course of 15 years, the story features Moses’s original, unreleased music and has been captured in digital video, 35mm, Super 16mm, and Super 8mm film. It recently entered the 2024-2025 film festival circuit.
Inspired by Moses, ‘Stories Behind the Fog’ (SBTF) is the transmedia component of this project, featuring the stories of 100 individuals affected by homelessness in the San Francisco Bay Area.
We gather these stories through partnerships with nine homeless outreach organizations that facilitate connections with a broad range of people impacted by this domestic issue. Then we share them periodically on Medium at storiesbehindthefog.com, combining first-person accounts with portraits. They have also been compiled in a book that will be published timed to the release of the film, in 2024, and that will serve as a fundraising tool for our non-profit partners.
We’re aiming to ignite interest in homelessness and broaden perspectives by sharing a wide range of compelling stories about real people affected by this issue. So far, SBTF has gained over 5,300 readers on Medium and has been featured in CBS, KQED, Univision, Fox, the San Francisco Chronicle, WeTransfer, Creative Mornings, and TEDx.
Writer, Director & Editor
FRAN is a Spanish filmmaker and creative director based in San Francisco. He earned an MFA in Copywriting at the Academy of Art University (AAU) with the support of the ‘laCaixa Full Scholarship Program’, and also studied Screenwriting at the Cuba International School of Film and Television.
More info about Fran
Fran has worked for advertising agencies in Europe and the U.S., taught at AAU’s MFA Advertising program, and directed commercials internationally. His first short documentary, ‘Mexican Cuisine,’ screened at over 50 film festivals, including Cannes SFC and AFI Fest, winning 16 awards. Due to his work on ‘Moses’ and ‘Stories Behind The Fog,’ which chronicles the stories of 100 individuals experiencing homelessness in the San Francisco Bay Area, Fran has been featured in KQED’s ‘Behind The Lens’ series, selected as a FilmHouse resident at SFFILM, and received invitations to speak at TEDx San Francisco and Creative Mornings. Fran is dabbling in music, crafting songs with acoustic guitar, ukulele, and Native American flutes.
Producer
DIYA was born and raised in Kolkata, India. She grew up in a family with academic conviction about the intrinsic value of education and the deep sense of satisfaction and fulfillment that can arise through its pursuit. After finishing high school, she decided to move to Mumbai.
More info about Diya
1250 miles away from home, to pursue an undergraduate degree in Economics at The Sophia College of Mumbai. Then, she joined the world-renowned advertising and media company, Mindshare. At this time, the dynamics of the media world caught her attention. Life took Diya to San Francisco, where she completed her MFA in Creative Strategy at the Academy of Art University. San Francisco gave her the opportunity to expand as an artist, a thinker, and most importantly, a human being. This is exactly where she started getting involved in several film projects and working at Free Range Puppies. Diya has already produced her first short documentary, titled The Mural, and is producing Moses’ film.
Producer & Cinematographer
JULI is an award-wining Director of Photography and Producer based in San Francisco. He holds an MBA in International Business from the Moore School of Business in Columbia S.C. and an MFA in Cinematography from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco.
More info about Juli
Juli is co-founder of Free Range Puppies (http://free-rangepuppies.com/), and an Honorary Board Member of the DSLR Filmmakers Guild.
His work on Mexican Cuisine, a documentary that honors the flavor of Mexican immigration in the United States, was awarded Best Cinematography at the New York Digital Short Film Festival and received sixteen other international awards, including the prestigious Clio Award. He worked for two years and continues to collaborate as Director of Photography for Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, creator of the famous campaign Got Milk? and named Agency of the Decade by Adweek Magazine in 2009. He was the cinematographer on the Adobe Cloud piece I am the New Creative, which was a warded with a Silver Cannes Cyber Lion 2014.
Associate Producer
Quim Torrents is a distinguished Catalan film director, and his film production company, Clau Creative Services, finds its home in Pamplona, Spain. With a degree in Journalism from the University of Navarra, he brings a unique blend of storytelling and cinematic expertise to his work.
More info about Quim
Over the years, Quim has specialized in crafting captivating corporate and advertising audiovisual content. More recently, he has delved into the realm of documentary filmmaking, expanding his creative horizons. In addition to his film career, he has a wealth of experience as a university professor, sharing his knowledge with the next generation of filmmakers.
Associate Producer
Winner of the 2013 Melies d’Or Award and nominated for a Spanish Academy Award (Goya Award) with Voice Over, MARTIN is a Spanish film director and producer based in New York City.
More info about Martin
Voice Over, his latest short film, was released by Canal + Spain, and won more than eighty awards at internationally-acclaimed film festivals, such as the Chicago International Film Festival, New York International Short Film Festival, Sitges International Film Festival, and Gijon International Film Festival. Voice Over has also been chosen as an Official Selection at Tribeca, San Sebastian, Clermont Ferrand, and Los Angeles Film Festival.
Martin Rosete began his filmmaking career by directing and producing a 35mm short film, Revolution, which won more than fifty a wards at international film festivals. Martin studied Audiovisual Communication at the The Complutense University of Madrid, Directing Actors at the legendary San Antonio de los Baños International Film School in Cuba, completed a Master’s degree at the New York Film Academy, and was invited to attend the First Talent Campus of Berlin International Film Festival. He has recently completed his first feature-length film, titled Money.
Associate Producer
Born and raised in Cuba, ELAN completed a BA in Art History at the University of Havana in 1979. Due to his accomplishments as a student, the Paris Audio Visual Institute awarded him with a grant to study in France, where he also shot and directed several documentaries.
More info about Elán
After completing his studies in Paris, he decided to seek new adventures in California.
He worked as a freelance photographer for various companies based in San Francisco, until he was hired by the Academy of Art University to lead the Department of Photography as a Technical Director. Thirty years of hard work and dedication, together with his vocation for teaching, earned him his current title of Technical Director of both the Photography and the Motion Pictures & Television Departments at the Academy of Art University.
Elan has mentored, advised and inspired hundreds of students, leading many of them to land jobs in Los Angeles thanks to the excellent relationships he holds with the Hollywood film industry.
Creative Consultant
Winner of a New York Emmy® after being nominated 3 times, finalist for the Oscars®-Student Academy Awards, and winner of a Gaudi® Catalan Academy Award after three nominations.
More info about Alex
ALEX is a Spanish filmmaker based in New York City who has screened twice at Sundance Film Festival as Official Selection. Listed as one of the top 10 promising Spanish directors to watch for in Variety’s Cannes Edition of 2014, his work has received over 100 awards, being officially selected in some of the most internationally-acclaimed film festivals like IDFA, True/False or Rotterdam. Alex has also participated at Berlinale’s Talent Campus and three times at Cannes Short Film Corner. He has taught film at several prestigious universities and received his MFA in Media Arts Production at City College of New York as a Fulbright scholar, mentored by Antonio Tibaldi and the late Chantal Akerman. You can watch some of his work at www.alexlora.com
Creative Consultant
KRISTINE is a documentary essayist; her films (made in collaboration with John Haptas) include Tokyo Waka, Barn Dance, Silent Disco, The Days and The Hours, Riding the Tiger, The World as We Know It, Empire of the Moon, and Wrong Place Wrong Time.
More info about Kristine
These works have screened at festivals worldwide, from Sundance and San Francisco to London, Mannheim, Sao Paulo, Melbourne, Tokyo and Seoul and have appeared on PBS and at museums including NY MOMA. Tokyo Waka had a recent theatrical run at the Film Forum in New York. She is also the Edward Crossett Emerita Professor at Stanford University, where she taught in the Documentary Film and Video Program for thirty years. Samuelson was nominated for an Academy Award for Arthur and Lillie and is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Her work has been supported by artist fellowships from the Cité Internationale des Arts in Paris, the Victoria College of Art in Melbourne, the Japan-U.S. Friendship Commission, and the California Arts Council. She has also served on the Board of the Independent Television Service and has taught workshops in Ghana, South Africa, Vietnam, and Australia.
SBTF Writer
Arjanna van der Plas is an author and leadership coach, currently based in Zurich. Besides her work with Stories Behind The Fog, Arjanna is supporting teams and individuals in developing their leadership skills and is the co-founder of the WOMEN’S HUB in Zurich.
More info about Arjanna
After moving to San Francisco from the Netherlands in 2015, she was immediately touched by how many people were living on the streets of this city filled with millionaires. Instead of continuing her career in tech as she had planned, she decided to start volunteering at the Curry Senior Center in the Tenderloin. A writer at heart, she couldn’t help but share her stories about the deep conversations she had with the visitors of the center on Medium.
It didn’t take long before Fran, the initiator of Stories Behind The Fog, invited her to join his team, and she has been contributing dozens of stories to the initiative ever since.
These are the 412 amazing people that have supported Moses on Kickstarter:
ADRIANA FLORES, ADRIANA GONZALEZ, ALAN WIGLEY, ALANA ROTHLEIN, ALBERTO SLEZYNGER, ALDO FRANCISCOLO, ALEX MESSIANU, ALEXANDRE LACERDA, ALEXANDRE NORMAND, ALEX LORA, ALVIN SHEN, AMANDA GILES, ANA GOÑI, ANA TURU, ANDREA PANIAGUA, ANDREAS, ANISARA SMITH HOOPS, ANITA GALEANA, ANITA SCHLOSSER, ANN LANGLEY, ANN PATTISON, ANN TRACY, ANNA HITCHNER, ANNE PINKOWSKI, ANTONIO PACHECO, ARAKNO,
ARAMI, ARANTZA, ARLENE ZAMORA, ARNETTE DAVIS, BAUTI, BEATRIZ, BELEN TORREGROSA, BEN MAJOY, BETSY, RUSSAKOFF, BETTINA ABASCAL, BJORN, BOB SCARPELLI, BORJA, BRANDON UTTLEY, BRIDGET RENEE PLAIR, BROOKE-ERIK PETERSON, CAMERON MADDUX, CARL RIVAS, CARLOS RANEDO, CARMEN FRAILE, CARMINA DIAZ, CAROL BEAN
CAROLA CHAURERO, CAROLE DELMAR, CAROLINA, CAROLINA GALLEGOS, CAROLINE WINDFELDER EACHUS, CARRIE, BIGGS-ADAMS, CECIL NEWTON, CES MOSTAZA, CHARLENE JANZEN, CHARLES BAUMBERGER, CHELO GAMEZ AMIAN
CHELO&NACHO, CHRIS ARATA, CHRIS WESSLING, CHRISTINA, CHRISTINA JENKINS, CHRISTOPHER COLEBOURN, CHRISTOPHER MUDIAPPAHPILLAI, CHRISTY JOHNSTON, CLAUDE JOHNSON, CLAUDE SHADE, COLIN EVOY SEBESTYEN, COLLEEN PISANESCHI, CORY ROSS, CYNTHIA WHEELER, DALTON J. ROONEY, DANA, DANIEL, DANIEL PRADILLA, DANIEL ROMERO, DARLENE, DAVID BEALL, DAVID DEL ROSARIO, DAVID M MAYERI, DAVID PRUÑONOSA
, DAVID SKETCHLEY, DEREK JOE, DIANA CORDERO, DIEGO DE LOS RIOS, DIEGO PROVENZA, DIPANKAR DAS, DONNA, STAPLETON, DORIS, DOUGS, DULANEY FARKAS, ED MARTIN, ELENA MORATALLA, ELIZABETH JOHNSON, ELSA, ELVIRA CASTELLANOS GIL, EMILIO TALLÓN, ENRIQUE PRADILLA, EPACH, ERIK NORVELLE, ERIN DORAN, ESTEFANIA SEQUEIRA, ESTELA Y JOSE, FEDERICO, FELICIA BELL, FELIPE PRADILLA, FERNANDO ARMENTA, FRANCISCO, FRANCISCO CRANE
, FRANCISCO JAVIER GUIJARRO, GABRIEL, GABRIELA, GARY GOLDSTONE, GEMA ALBERO, GEMMA BERENGUER, GENEVIEVE MCCARTY, GERARD FRANCH, GERMAN LAULLON, GINA TAN, GISQ, GREG, GREG RUNNELS, GREGORY, FARLEY, GUILLEWRITER, GUSTAVO PINO RIESTRA, HSIAO-SHU CHANG, HUGH OLLIPHANT, HUGO SERRA, IGNACIO,
IRENKA DOMINGUEZ-PARETO, ISAAC MIZRAHI, ISABEL, ISMAIL HUSSAIN ALBISHI, JACK SAUNDERS, JACKIE, JACLYN ABERGAS, JAEMIE ALTMAN, JAMES BRUNSMANN, JAMES WELLS, JAMIE WHITAKER, JASON FRIED, JAVIER CAELLES, JAVIER ESQUÍROZ, JAVIER SERRANO, JAY KINNEY, JENN COOK, JENNIFER KIM VAN NGUYEN, JENNIFER MONTALVO, JENNY BARTOLOME, JERRY SCHULIST, JESSIE, JJZILLI, JOAN, JOANNE, JOE ALONSO, JOHN BOHLAND, JOHN WILKINSON, JONATHAN COBB, JORDI CARCELERO I CUBERSÍ, JORGE, JORGE V, JOSE, JOSE ALCAIDE, JOSE ARROYO BAJO, JOSE BENITEZ, JOSE LUIS SPAHR, JOSE MARIA IBAÑEZ, JOSH GALDE, JOSHUA ASEN, JOSHUA MOISE,
JUAN CARLOS TEJEDA, JULI LOPEZ, JULIA CARPENTER, JULIA CASTAÑON, JULIANA GALLON, KAEL TEODOROWICZ, KAREN FONG, KATHY LORD, KATIE, KATIE LUTTRELL, KAYUR PATEL, KEIKO SAITO, KEVIN JOHNSON, KIERAN HUTCHINSON, KIMBERLY SCHULZ, KONRAD BENGINOW, KRISTIN MASCIORINI, KYENN CAGE, KYLE GASNIK
LANA NIEVES, LAURA AYAA DONNELL, LAURA RYAN, LAURA SLATTERY, LAUREN HAMILTON, LAUREN KVALHEIM, LEIGH BULKELEY, LESTER SCHLESINGER, LILIANE STRANSKY, LINA MEJIA, LISA WALTON, LORI WEINSTEIN, LUCIA, LUIS ACHA, LUIS C. COBO, LUIS CASADEVALL, LUIS MIGUEL MESSIANU, LUJÁN, Mª CARMEN HERNANDEZ, MAMEN Y JOSEMI, MANUEL GOMEZ RODRIGUEZ, MARA RUBIO, MARCELA ALVARADO, MARCO CABO GUIJARRO, MARI CARMEN DUQUE, MARÍA CAROLINA REIMPELL, MARIA JOSE, MARIA QUILES & RORY CLOUD, MARIA SANCHEZ ZUBIZARRETA, MARIA-JOSE VINAS, MARIANNA ELLINA, MARIEL CORONA, MARIETTA BARTOLETTI, MARJORIE SHACHNOW, MARK EDWARDS, MARK FALLOWS, MARK KRAHLING, MARK MCKENNA, MARK SLOAN, MARK TORRES, MARSHA PALITZ-ELLIOTT, MARTA, MARTA INSUA, MARTIN DI GIGLIO, MARTÍN J. GUIJARRO, MARTIN ROSETE, MARY, MARY E. RUDDEN, MAX RODRIGUEZ, MEGAN WONG, MELANIE WALLACE, MELISSA KILLEN, MELISSA LAGOMARSINO, MENDEL KOHN, MERCEDES ERBETTA, MICHAEL, MICHAEL BROWN, MICHAEL SMITH, MICHEL ROTHSCHILD, MICHELE HAMENT, MICHELLE,
MIGUEL GUIJARRO Y LUISA HERNÁNDEZ, MIKE BRENNER, MIRA BARTOK, MIREN MARTINEZ YEREGUI
, MIRIAM, MIRKO STOLZ, MISHPEN, MOISÈS FERNÁNDEZ VIA, MÓNICA BALANZATEGUI, NAISA CARNEIRO REYES, NANCY FOLEY, NATALIA VAHL, NEYDY GOMEZ, NICHOLAS MANOUSOS, NICK SAGE, NICOLE CARTER, NICOLE KRAMER, NORA SEGRESTAN, NORA SIGNER, NURIA, OLGA GAREY, OLIMPIA, ONINTZA, OREN WEIZMAN, PABLO, PABLO BOGUÑA FISAS, PABLO M. LOZANO, PAM HUDSON, PATRICIA VALLS, PAULA UBILLOS, PEDRO GARRE PÈLACH,
PETER GIBBONS, PETER KNIERIM, PHELLOWS.COM, PILAR, RANKO JOVIC, RAQUEL BOADA, RAVERNA WYNNE STAHL
REBECCA MR, RIMI & TAI, RITA CABASES, ROB SALONGA, ROBERT MANSON, ROCÍO GARCÍA, ROGER MULLER, ROGER VILLARROYA, ROXANE SCHOFIELD, RUBEN MARTINEZ, SABEENA KHAN, SANTIAGO, SARAH, SARITA MOSS, SCOTT POTTER, SERGI CONSUL, SHANTANU BASRUR, SHARON MARKOWITZ, SHERI RUDBERG, SHIREE DYSON, SHRAVAN HEGDE, SIERRA HAWORTH, SIMONE SCIUTTO, STEFAN HAUPT, STEFAN LOBLE, STEPH RAIS AND CHRIS ORTIZ
STEPHANIE FOWLER, STEVE, STEVE DORST, STEVE LINDSEY, STEVE PAYONZECK, SURELYS GALANO, SUSAN ANDREWS, SUSAN H RUSSELL, TAKAO BABA, TAMARA, TAMARA GARCIAMORA, TANIA WAISBERG, TERI YEAGER, TG, THE MYSTERY PARADE, THOMAS TAIMRE, TINA ESQUER, TOTORITA TOTO, TRACY BULKELEY, ULISES FLORES, VANINA, VICKY, VICTOR CARREY, VICTOR GARCIA-HOZ, VICTOR M. PICATOSTE, VIRGINIA MARCHANTE FERNANDEZ, VIRGINIA REYES, WILHELMINA M. TAX, WILL ACHA, YULIA PETROVSKAYA & ZUBEROA. THANK YOU.