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God's Promises Mean Everything spans seven years in the life of Derek, a homeless hostel resident who lives in Teesside in the North East of England. After being granted permission by the hostel, Mark visited Derek 1-2 times a month - to drop off food or hang out, talk or just listen to music. These visits, this time spent in each others' company, became essential to the work and allowed Mark and Derek to develop a unique project that was fully collaborative. The book is an immersive long-term character portrait that extends over a number of years, but limits its perspective to a single room. Haunted by the spectre of the family he lost, Derek lives without the safety nets many of us take for granted. Significant life choices - involving financial difficulties, mental and physical health - are always close to the surface. God's Promises Mean Everything reveals the unsettling fragility in the connections that make up our everyday experience. It is a personal, empathetic portrait of a man trapped in difficult circumstances. A story of disconnection and loss, but also of survival and daily rebellion.
About the author
Mark Chapman is a photographer and filmmaker from North East England. His award-winning moving image work has screened internationally including in the UK, France, Sweden, Germany, the Czech Republic and Brazil. His photographic work has appeared in numerous gallery shows and magazines. He is also an alumnus of industry development programmes at Berlin Film Festival and London Film Festival. He teaches at the University of Greenwich and has a PhD in Film Practice.
