Documentary 'Game Girls' sheds light on life and love on the streets of Skid Row

DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- At the Orpheum Theatre in downtown L.A. on Thursday, the creators of a new documentary called "Game Girls" walked the red carpet of Outfest Los Angeles ahead of its weekend premiere.

"Game Girls" tells the story of Teri Rogers, then a homeless woman living on Skid Row, and her girlfriend Tiahna.

The movie is directed by Alina Skrzeszewska, who had such an interest in experiencing and documenting life on Skid Row that she voluntarily lived there for two years.

"'Game Girls' is a love story and I think we need a love story from Skid Row," she said. "My friends who were from L.A. thought I was insane."

But it helped her tell the stories of those who live there, such as Teri, who was homeless for 15 years beginning at the age of 16.

"Just try to move forward. So we can find out who we are as individuals because we're stuck at 16 years old when our parents put us out," Rogers said.

Skrzeszewska added that every person on Skid Row has experienced some form of trauma in their life.

"I'm not going to fake the funk. I had a few detours, but I'm satisfied and I'm grateful. I'm headed to where I want to be," Rogers said.

Skrzeszewska said people don't often want to see what's going on.

"What is really going on - I don't think most people want to really see that, acknowledge that. People don't like to see a lot of the pain," she said.

The hope is with the movie they can begin to see that and see that human beings are suffering on the streets, but sometimes finding love in the process.