THE FILM
Finding Home is a unique documentary about trafficking, as the stories go far beyond the actual trafficking experiences. Finding Home shows in depth the struggle, growth, and challenges that come with trying to pick a life back up after it has been fragmented. Each of these three young women has a unique story with unique hurdles to overcome. The difficulties and complexities of learning how to deal with life after horrific abuse by slave owners and men looking to exploit sex with underage girls are unpacked in a way that communicates cross-culturally and proves the connectivity in the human spirit.
Finding Home reminds us that we are all connected in our humanity; that we are all looking for a place of love, acceptance and community...a place called home.
The idea for Finding Home came about in the Fall of 2011. Derek Hammeke, the director of Finding Home, had been doing promotional videos for the Rapha International organization (founded by Stephanie Freed) since January 2010. Multiple trips to Southeast Asia had been taken leading up to the Fall of 2011. Derek approached Stephanie about considering the option of exploring a full length documentary about the girls that are at the safe house.
Stephanie knew the effectiveness that a film can have in our world. In 2008, Baht, a short film produced by CIY was a success and helped acquire funds to build new Survivor Care Campuses in Cambodia. After a short time of discussion, full time production on Finding Home began in Spring of 2012. It began with the preparation of a Kickstarter campaign that would be launched later that year. Three months of shooting during the summer and fall of that year commenced. The film was in post production from October 2012 until November of 2013, and was finally released to the world in Spring of 2014.
On February 22nd of 2014, Finding Home had its private Kickstarter premiere in Joplin. This premiere was for people who funded at the "Premiere Level" tier on the Kickstarter campaign. Other key Rapha International supporters attended as well. The film made its public world premiere at the 38th annual Cleveland International Film Festival on March 24th. The film was selected to be under the "Standing Up" competition, which include "films with a conscience."