The Long Rescue
The Long Rescue, a feature-length documentary, begins where most trafficking stories end: after the rescue. Following teenage survivors in Cebu, Philippines, the film explores how girls can recover from deep violation to find stability, love, and personal agency. Over six years, Hope, Sara, and Carrie grow from idealist teens into struggling young women – sobered, but driven by hard-won inner strength.
The film opens at the hidden shelter of My Refuge House (MRH), where the girls are full of laughter and song, eager to work toward a brighter future. In a world shrouded in confidentiality and shame, these brave teens want to show their faces and speak their truth. But as they leave the shelter, ghosts of the past emerge.
The film opens at the hidden shelter of My Refuge House (MRH), where the girls are full of laughter and song, eager to work toward a brighter future. In a world shrouded in confidentiality and shame, these brave teens want to show their faces and speak their truth. But as they leave the shelter, ghosts of the past emerge.
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When working with survivors of violence and exploitation, it's critical to ensure they have agency and ownership over their own stories.
And some of the girls have court cases still in process --they are bravely testifying against their perpetrators. So security is tight: the location of MRH is secret, and we have a confidentiality and consent process. For now, we aren't showing the girl's faces, but we're excited for the film's release when you'll be able to appreciate the trust, teasing, vulnerability, hesitation, anger, and delight that is wordlessly written on their countenances. If you want to know more and get updates on the project, please sign up for our newsletter, or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. |
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My Refuge House
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My Refuge House is the shelter where we met all of the girls in our film. It's campus is in a secret location on the island of Cebu, in the Philippines. In addition to providing a safe home, meals and all-important merienda (snacks), MRH also offers counseling, medical care, educational support through college, and resources for the girls families outside their walls. In it's family-based model, house mothers offer lots of hugs, staffers give guitar lessons, and the home proffers ocean views and a healing garden. As a US-based 501c3, donations to MRH are tax deductible!
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Behind the Scenes
Our fearless Cebu-based cinematographer, Hanz Florentino, also has his own vlog --and he generously devoted an episode to The Long Rescue. He captured some of the most picturesque days of filming and the scrappiness of our production. (What you can't see is how HOT it is).
(Please note that this is entirely Hanz's creation with no editorial input from Treeclimber Media, and which he somehow managed to pull off while also filming for the documentary!) |
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Participatory Video
To help the girls understand the power of filmmaking, we held two trainings for the girls to use cameras, sound gear, and editing software. This process, called participatory video (PV) uses games and discussion so that participants learn through direct experience, and is really fun! Director Jennifer Huang attended an intense training program in Oxford, led by InsightShare, and came back with a whole toolkit and philosophy for working with the girls. This training, along with ongoing conversations throughout the production, ensures that the young women understand what it means to be filmed, edited, and broadcast to a wide audience.