Documentary to Unite Healing with Those Who are Hurting and Stop Sex Trafficking

Filmmaking team with some locals

Feature films have become a powerful resource to both entertain and influence a massive global audience. With this understanding, four young Christian filmmakers named Diego, Brittany, Rob and Phillip were given a story straight from the Lord’s heart to make a movie about a girl in the sex industry, starting with a documentary that will research the key issues. How did they know it was from the heart of God? Great question. Let’s start from the beginning.

Brittany and Diego were on a road trip, LA bound for a job they had on a film production. As their conversation deepened, Diego expressed his desire to make a movie that could unite Latin America with the United States - a sort of bilingual film that would travel to all parts of Latin America and ignite its identity. Though a great idea, the two realized there was something essential missing. Through a little prayer and brainstorming, the idea came loud and clear. “Imagine a girl escaping from the US after being sex trafficked and traveling back home to South America, and in the film it would show strategy to bring unity and an end to sex slavery.” They gave it to the Lord and He said, “Go.”

As the story development began, their lack of education in the issues of sex slavery became evident. They wanted the story to be genuine, but when it came to understanding the need, the team didn’t know where to start.

The idea to make a movie progressed into an idea to make a movement, as the team quickly realized that another movie about sex trafficking might not change anything. So they started seeking the need from primary sources and desired to contact ministries, churches and organizations that are dealing with this on the front lines. But then the question became, “How? We don’t know any contacts down Latin America.”

Six months later after forming the idea, the team was presented an opportunity to travel the exact route God laid on their hearts for the character in their story to travel. Blown away by the opportunity, they gave it to the Lord, and the Lord showed them His desire for the team to video document the journey down Latin America and unravel the key characteristics and needs from the ministries and girls. God rapidly began renewing their minds and humbling their hearts, showing the importance of giving those ministries a platform so speak. The pieces were falling into place, and the documentary was given a strong mission statement: become the voice for the voiceless.

As the dates were closing in on their departure, God spoke another element over the project: healing. Through divine appointment, Brittany met with Celestia Tracy, who targets abuse and focuses on curriculum that helps the brokenhearted. The team was rocked to the core when realizing the importance of healing in order to have unity in the Body of Christ and intimacy with God. Through personal understanding of abuse, the team became aware if they help with freeing these women, they would still be imprisoned in their own trauma and pain. They started to understand how educating people in recognizing abuse (not only in the ministries, but in the body of Christ) will play as a principle role in the strategy of ending sex slavery. The mission became even greater as they saw broken hearts on both the supply and the demand of the sex industry. Now Mending the Soul and its curriculum is one of the key components to these filmmakers’ goal of halting sex trafficking in its tracks. The documentary will strive to unite Mending the Soul and the ministries the team comes across.

As their journey begins and the team is walking by faith, seeing on a daily basis that God is in full control. “To say the least, we are eager to see what the Lord has in store.”