The Last Guest of the Holloway Motel includes Tony Powell reuniting with his two sisters and brother, The Guardian reports. The BBC reports that filmmakers Ramiel Petros and Nick Freeman first approached Powell’s sister Denise Smith about the project and that relatives later reconnected with him. The accounts establish that the reunion is part of the film; they do not show that making the documentary caused it.
The project began with a different focus. Petros and Freeman initially planned a short film about the Holloway Motel and homelessness in the area. Powell’s story led them to expand it into a feature, according to Variety and The Guardian. The two filmmakers co-directed the film, produced by former U.S. men’s national team player Robbie Rogers.
A motel setting, and distinct housing programs
The Holloway Motel closed in September 2025 and then offered temporary housing for people experiencing homelessness, The Guardian reports. Los Angeles has used lodging properties in separate ways.
During the pandemic, LAHSA says its countywide Project Roomkey program gave more than 10,000 COVID-vulnerable people experiencing homelessness access to private rooms. A different model is the former Willow Tree Inn in Compton: the California Department of Housing and Community Development says it received more than $8.9 million in Homekey funding and became 100 units of permanent supportive housing, which opened in April 2025.
The years apart
Powell stopped communicating with his family in 1981 while playing in the United States, the BBC reports. Norwich City’s search for former players located him in 2002 managing a motel in California; he reconnected with relatives years later. The Guardian reports that concern about his family’s response to his sexuality was among the reasons he broke contact. Before leaving Norwich, Powell had made 275 appearances and was named the club’s player of the season in 1979, the paper reports; he later played for the San Jose Earthquakes and Seattle Sounders.
Accounts differ on how long Powell managed the Holloway: The Guardian says 25 years, while the Los Angeles Blade says 20. The BBC reports that Powell is 79, has dementia and lives in an assisted living facility in San Diego. It says the documentary is touring the UK, including screenings in Norwich, Newcastle and Brighton; Soccer America reports that it is available in the United States on Apple TV, Prime Video and Fandango.
