Saturday, October 17, 2009

October Update

What is "Sex + Money - A national search for human worth"? A documentary that follows 5 photo journalist across the U.S. as they investigate human trafficking and sex slavery. Through interviews with today's most prominent abolitionists, awareness presentations and undercover research they are asking what is the problem, how did we get here, what's at steak if we stay here and where do we go from here. Watch the concept trailer to hear it in their own words. I do want to warn you, some of the footage is a bit vulgar.

My role is to help film, run sound and do a bit of editing for the project. I am working with three other incredibly talented guys from film school. Even after only a few weeks, we have had mixed emotions of feeling that sex trafficking is overwhelming as well as intense hope seeing people of all beliefs come together on this issue. The most surprising thing to me has been how the cops know where the prostitutes and brothels are and often do nothing about it. Many things have to change.

While filming undercover, we have already discovered prostitution on the streets of San Francisco, massage parlors in New York and been offered really anything you could imagine.

Morgan Perry, the producer, has been able to get some of the highest profile abolitionists to sit down for interviews. A former 14 year old prostitute, Brianna agreed to talk with us four hours after being release from prison and provided incredible insight into why the girls are so drawn to the pimps. What we have begun to realize is that the vast majority of girls begin at 12-15 years old, with the intention of completely breaking them and stripping their identity.

Financially, this would be considered more like a missions trip than a paying gig. I have been able to stash away some cash to cover the bare essentials. I am working with my church to set up an account so that if you would like to help out, that opportunity would be there and you would get a tax write off. Any funds would go toward helping pay off the gear I have already purchased, to better equip us with watch cams and such. If you would have any more questions about this, feel free to give me a call.

Thanks for your prayers. We really are going after the heart of this beast and at times feel the darkness all around us, but certainly not in us.

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