HOMELESS was produced to raise awareness and funds for an urgent social issue and global challenge that affect all of us as a society: On any given night, more than 700,000 people in the United States experience homelessness, while around the world the figure exceeds 100 million.

HOMELESS is not only a documentary, but also a powerful tool in the fight to end homelessness. The film has the support of the National Coalition for the Homeless and the United Nations Human Settlements Programme, which is using it to promote its World Urban Campaign and #HousingMatters Campaign.

HOMELESS humanizes those who are often marginalized and overlooked by giving them a platform to share their experiences, dreams, and challenges in their quest for a place to call home. It strives to foster empathy and understanding, while also challenging viewers to reconsider how homelessness is perceived and addressed.

HOMELESS attracted the support of numerous homeless organizations, and it features segments with the mayors of Los Angeles and New York City, president Biden, the FBI director, the HUD secretary, etc. However, its main goal is to give homeless people a voice and explore their backgrounds, dreams, and struggles to find the way home. 

Director Valerio Zanoli approached the project with the belief that homelessness is too often framed through cold headlines rather than human stories: Through HOMELESS, he aims to restore dignity and visibility for the unhoused, bring audiences closer to the individuals behind the issue, encourage viewers to truly see and acknowledge one another, and suggest that empathy is often the first step toward meaningful change.
      

The documentary HOMELESS features the original song ONE WORLD ONE HOME, which was written by Valerio Zanoli (lyrics) and Valentino Favotto (music), respectively the director and score composer of the film. The song is performed by world-renowned singer Bonnie Tyler in collaboration with Dallas Street Choir, which provides a musical outlet for those affected by homelessness.

ONE WORLD ONE HOME serves as the film’s emotional anchor, adds to its poignant resonance, and reflects its core message of unity, dignity, and shared humanity. The song amplifies the film’s crucial insight that housing insecurity is a shared societal challenge, and it promotes social change by humanizing homeless people and providing a stirring backdrop to a film that seeks to move the conversation about homelessness away from cold statistics and back toward human stories.

The publisher of ONE WORLD ONE HOME and the production company of HOMELESS will use all the profits from the sale of the original song and the distribution of the documentary to secure affordable housing for underprivileged families, further reinforcing the central idea that homelessness is not a hopeless condition, but a challenge that can be overcome with collective effort and compassion. 

As the lyrics of ONE WORLD ONE HOME state: “I dream this dream / Of a life we share / Where everyone is part / And no one keeping score / There is room for us all / And so much more / There is no us and them / There’s no now or never / We’ll face a fair tomorrow / Standing here together / Open your eyes / We’re the same / We are not alone ever / We will find our true home / When we stay together / Don’t pass me by / Look me in the eye / There you’ll find me."
      

Director and producer Valerio Zanoli is the creator of LET’S MAKE A DIFFERENCE, a transformative project that harnesses the influential medium of cinema to shed light on critical social issues. Over the past two decades, he has built a career at the intersection of cinema and social impact, giving life to films that raise awareness and funds for critical causes, stimulate conversations, ignite empathy, and drive tangible change. 

Zanoli’s films talk of important issues (i.e. childhood cancer, bullying, Alzheimer's, homelessness), raise funds for prestigious charities and hospitals (i.e. National Coalition for the Homeless and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital), and move audiences to action. They feature Academy Award winners, have been distributed all over the world, and have won several awards (including a Social Commitment Award, an Excellence Award, and dozens of film festivals). 

The documentary HOMELESS and its original song ONE WORLD ONE HOME are part of Zanoli’s ongoing initiative LET’S MAKE A DIFFERENCE, with all the profits destined to secure affordable housing for those who need it the most. This is a natural trajectory on his philanthropic journey: Since 2013, Zanoli and his other project HELPING VEGAS have already provided housing for nearly 2,000 low-income individuals – mostly veterans and senior citizens. 

At a recent homelessness conference, Zanoli shared what drives him: “I’ve been helping the homeless population for years by providing housing, but I felt I needed to do more. So, I decided to make good use of my directing skills to give life to a documentary that is meant to show homeless people for what they really are: People. As a famous quote says, there is no ‘us’ and ‘them.’ There is only us, one human family, connected in ways we sometimes forget. I make films to have an impact and give purpose to my life. We should all make a difference, because, together, we can really change the world and make it a better place.”