Living On One Dollar is a documentary directed, produced and starred by Chris Temple. Temple spent two months in rural Guatemala surviving on 1$ per day. Through the film you are able to see how Chris and three of his friends (Zach Ingrasci who is also the co-founder of the project, Ryan Christofferson and Sean Leonard) battle parasites, hunger and of course poverty.
Temple and Zach conceived the idea while on vacation. Before graduating, they wanted to experience for themselves how to survive on one dollar or less in a small area called Peña Blanca (Guatemala). They packed their bags and headed towards the Latin American country with the exact amount of money to survive for two months.
Over there Chris and his friends encountered many difficulties, from access to clean water to how to find strength to do farming work with an empty stomach. The journey had its silver linings; they met Rosa, Antony and Chino. Despite not having much, these three characters showed them how you can give even more than what you have.
After the experience in Guatemala, Chris graduated at McKenna College in 2012, and has ever since given speeches at the United Nations and over 50 places including: high schools, universities, and conference rooms. He has made appearances on CBS’ TV shows like Huffpost Live and more. Variety and The Huffington Post are some of the major international publications to feature his work.
Salam Neighbor is another feature film that Temple directed and co-produced. It gives an insight into the daily sufferings and hopes of emigrant refugees. The non-profit production company Living on One has a vision to raise awareness and inspire other to join this cause to take action against all kinds of global issues. More information and donations can be made at livingonone.org.