The makers of the short film “Following Foster”, which came second in the 5 Minutes to Change Your World short-documentary film contest, have pulled their work from the competition’s Web site and are re-editing it to address concerns raised by a family member.

“Following Foster” chronicles a day in the life of Ken Foster, homeless artist and drug addict with schizophrenia living in the Downtown Eastside. Laura Madison, with whom Foster has a 15-year-old girl, told the Straight she contacted the film’s creators out of concern that her daughter’s name appears in the film.

“There was no consent or consultation with the family,” she said. Madison also accused the filmmakers of taking advantage of Foster’s vulnerability to make their film. “He is a diagnosed schizophrenic,” she said. “Ken is not capable of making decisions right now. He is dual-diagnosed; he’s living in the most horrendous conditions.”

One of the seven makers of the film, Terri-Lyn Storey, told the Straight that only the first name of Foster’s daughter was mentioned in the film but that the filmmakers decided to remove it out of respect for Foster’s family. She also disagreed with allegations made by Madison that she and her cocreators had taken advantage of Foster in order to make their film. “We are aware that our short film could not possibly do justice to tell all of the layers of Ken’s story, but through this contest we created an award-winning film that allowed us to have a glimpse into a very interesting person,” she said.

Storey said that the filmmakers hope to create a longer, more in-depth documentary about Foster.