In 2018, the Trottier family was one of more than 8,000 households in Rhode Island to be evicted. Between soaring rents and a dysfunctional safety net, their struggles were shared amongst the majority of renters across the state. To bring attention to their story and the reality of Rhode Island’s housing crisis, filmmaker and housing advocate Oscar d’Angeac created the short, non-fiction film Providence Lost.
Produced by Signs of Providence, a media collective confronting the ongoing housing crisis in Rhode Island, Providence Lost follows Madonna Trottier, Butch Trottier, and Madonna’s son, Stephen Tobin. As the family faces eviction and searches for a new home, the short film highlights the hardships in finding affordable housing and the power dynamics at play between landlords and tenants.
Providence Lost will air in doubleFEATURE’s lineup on Thursday, June 24 at 8 p.m. In partnership with Flickers' Rhode Island International Film Festival (RIIFF) and the Rhode Island Film and Television Office, Rhode Island PBS proudly presents doubleFEATURE each week to showcase the art of the short film and the artists who make them.
WSBE Rhode Island PBS transmits over the air in high definition on digital 36.1; Cox 08 / 1008HD, Verizon FiOS 08 / 508HD, and Full Channel 08; Comcast 819HD and Verizon FiOS 18 / 518HD in MA; DirecTV 36, Dish Network 36. Live stream the full broadcast schedule at watch.ripbs.org/livestream.
