Windermere film company sheds light on sex slavery

WINDERMERE  Nearly 300,000 Americans under 18 are lured into the commercial sex-trade industry every year, and the average age of victims is between 11 and 14. These statistics sound alarming — almost too much so. But they are all too real.

Now, Horizon West-based production company Spirit Movie Productions is bringing them to the big screen in one of its latest projects, “On Your Street.” 

The film, which has been in development for nearly  a year, is based on a true story of two sisters who are unwillingly introduced to the world of human trafficking. One of the characters, Claire, meets a boy at a park, and they invite friend Maddy and her sister to a party. The plot takes a dark twist when they arrive and realize it isn’t at all what they expected.

“It goes to show that when you meet people, sometimes they seem like the most clean-cut boy next door, and you just never know,” said screenwriter and producer Michelle Brown. 

ON YOUR STREET

Brown has always had a passion for working on projects dealing with social issues, especially those with today’s youth. Her last project was about teen cutting, and from there she began researching other issues prominent in today’s society.

“I started researching human trafficking, and I was appalled at the figures and what I found out, the statistics and how prominent it is in the U.S.,” she said. “It’s not just an international problem. From there, I started meeting with different organizations, talked to different people and wrote the screenplay.”

The process began with writing the screenplay and then finding the cast. Brown hired a local casting director to help, and they had talent from as far away as Louisiana audition. The actors went through casting, callbacks and a chemistry read before filming.

“I jump at any opportunity to act, so while they didn’t really specify in the breakdown when the audition notice went out what (the film) was about, once the casting process started going through, they started telling me more, that it’s about sex trafficking,” said Bailey Gavulic, who plays a character named Cindy. “It’s a really important thing that needs to be distributed for public knowledge.”

Megan Brown, who took on one the main roles as Maddy, hopes that people who view the film will take it as a learning experience and be cautious about who they meet.

“The movie will be a really big eye-opener to people, especially younger kids and teens,” Megan said. “Even though it happens to everybody at every age, the primary age is 11 to 14 and that’s why one of the actors in (the film) is 12 years old. I hope everyone learns from it and knows that not everybody you meet is going to have great intentions and is going to be an amazing person.”

“On Your Street” will be highlighted as a featured film at the International Christian Film Festival April 28 to 30 in Orlando, and Michelle Brown said she hopes to get it into schools to spread the word on the dangerous industry and how close it is to home. 

“I hope people realize that this is a serious problem in the U.S., that Florida is No. 3 statistically for human trafficking,” Michelle Brown said. “If you have a teenager, they’re at risk. A human-trafficking organization told me that the No. 1 place to pick up these girls is malls and parks, and this is very real. I hope people walk away from this and are a little more cautious, that they check out their kids’ friends and their daughters’ boyfriends.”

Although Michelle Brown hopes it will be a learning opportunity for the community, it already has been an eye-opening one for her cast. Tre’Len Johnston, who plays Carlos, mentioned how deceiving the traffickers can be in luring girls into the industry.

“I didn’t know much about that, so I did my research and was like, ‘Oh, that’s a really good cause,’ and I had no idea about it,” said Zoe Rosenfield, who plays Ginger. “I knew this would be an amazing thing to bring awareness.”

Victoria Rodriguez’s character, Ava, is already sold into sex slavery in the film, so she got to learn more of what human-trafficking victims experience.

“Having to go through that emotion, the pain and anger she had to go through, it was such an amazing thing to do and understand,” Rodriguez said.

Additionally, 25% of Spirit’s profits from the film will be donated to charities supporting the cause.

Contact Danielle Hendrix at [email protected].