About the Film
What if you found out that the places you frequented with friends, like coffee shops, malls, sporting events, and hotels, were hunting grounds for human traffickers and the very same places where children and adults were being sold…in America?
Sex trafficking may be the greatest human and civil rights issue of our time. It encompasses racism, sexism, sexual violence, addiction to drugs and alcohol, physical violence, verbal abuse, pornography, and poverty – a beastly industry that thrives on the public’s lack of awareness. It does not discriminate based on location – urban, suburban, or rural – or sex country or even state.
This award-winning feature-length film innovatively draws on direct comparisons to the tragic extent of modern-day sex trafficking and the history of slavery in the United States, while providing real stories and solutions to end it. The film asks the question: “How could America go from being a country that represents freedom to a country where sex trafficking and slavery are flourishing?”
From Liberty to Captivity zooms in on and examines the impact of this profitable industry in a state that was instrumental in the fight to end slavery in the 1800s, Pennsylvania, following several individuals throughout their personal and professional experiences with sex trafficking, and it gives viewers a very real hope of conquering it.
Our mission is to awaken people from all walks of life to the pervasive reality of sex trafficking in order to plant the seeds of hope, inspiring them to carry forth the legacy of the abolitionists who came before them, fighting for freedom and rewriting America’s history. The From Liberty to Captivity team was deeply honored that a Flag was hung over the US Capitol and Proclamation read to the US House of Representatives in January 2019 in honor of its mission to use the film as a weapon in the fight against sex trafficking.
The film is being submitted to critical film festivals across the world. In the last year, From Liberty to Captivity was an Official Selection of 15 local, national and international film festivals, and has already won 10 awards, including Best Documentary 4 times.
Parallel to film festival submissions, the film is being shown at independent theaters, churches and other places of worship, universities and colleges, community events, and other venues across Pennsylvania and in other states where people can view the film and then be immediately connected to, get involved with, and/or provide support to, organizations that are actively working to help victim survivors and eradicate human trafficking in the very communities where the film is being shown.
After the “grassroots” distribution plan for the film has been implemented, the plan is to distribute the film via various pay-per-view and online streaming services and other mass media channels, as well as to sell copies of and license rights to show the film, in the hopes of reaching audiences of all ages all over America and across the world to inspire them to carry forth the legacy of abolitionism.
About the Leadership Team
Debbie Wright: President, Do What’s Wright Production Company, LLC; Director & Producer, From Liberty to Captivity
Starting out as a journalism major, Debbie planned on following in the shoes of her mother who had produced a documentary in the late 1970s about the plight of the neglected elderly in Chicago. Debbie served as Feature Editor for a college newspaper and went on to write an article that was published in a magazine with distribution to over one million households. Her career goals shifted, and she obtained her undergraduate degree from the New York University Stern School of Business and founded her own consulting business, subsequently consulting on and managing multi-million dollar projects for top healthcare and pharmaceutical companies. Her love for children drove her to complete a Master’s Degree from the University of Pennsylvania in Education. She then taught elementary school for a few years until she returned to the business world. Debbie, like many people, was vaguely aware of the presence of slavery around the world, but her exposure to the reality of modern-day slavery in America came when the FBI descended upon and raided her neighbor’s house, finding thousands of pornographic images, many of which were of children being brutalized and raped. Debbie then contacted International Justice Mission and eventually become a volunteer Justice Advocate where she spoke at various events (including appearing on a Philadelphia radio show) to raise awareness about trafficking and slavery. The gap between the prevalence of sex trafficking in PA and the public’s awareness led Debbie to decide to leave her career in the pharmaceutical industry and reconnect with her journalism roots and her passion to eradicate sex trafficking.
Dr. Randall Miller: Consulting Historian, From Liberty to Captivity
Dr. Miller is a board member of Historians Against Slavery and the William Dirk Warren `50 Sesquicentennial Chair & Professor of History at Saint Joseph’s University. He is the author or editor of over 25 books on such subjects as slavery and race, religion, immigration and migration, the American South, politics, civil rights, ethnic and racial images in mass media, colonial and Revolutionary America, the Civil War & Reconstruction, and mid-Atlantic history. He has appeared frequently on TV and radio to comment on politics, American culture, and history, and he is the co-editor of the Southern Dissent series with the University Press of Florida.
Gary Caldwell: Associate Producer, From Liberty to Captivity
After graduating from The Pennsylvania State University, with a BA in Psychology, Gary worked in both research and clinical mental health at a psychiatric institute and clinic. Professionally since 2003, Gary has been a school administrator within higher education. Thus far, his lifelong passion for the film industry has led to being cast in background acting roles of major productions, including over ten television series and twenty movies. However, throughout the years, Gary’s heart broke for those victimized by human trafficking. Moving from heartsickness to real action started in 2014 by lobbying alongside International Justice Mission on Capitol Hill. Congress approved $5M to The Philippines for cyber-child-sex trafficking and Ghana for child-slave labor in the fishing industry, empowering ongoing rescues and convictions. Soon thereafter, with his home church, Gary created a testimonial awareness video to inspire the congregation to get involved in the fight against human trafficking. Next, together with his wife, was instituting and leading a hotel/motel ministry to inform front desk staff and managers on warning signs of sex trafficking, plus arm with resources to act. Over 130 locations have been reached in CA, D.C., FL, IL, LA, PA, & VA. In 2015, Gary spoke on a regional conference’s panel, before 400 attendees, to represent the topic of human trafficking. Following these local/state awareness and national/international legislative impacts, a divine appointment emerged. Suddenly in 2016, his passion for the film industry and compassion for victims and survivors of human trafficking were miraculously married by becoming a team member on From Liberty to Captivity.
Christian Imbesi: Director of Cinematography
Christian grew up outside of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and attended Messiah College, where he received a BA in Communication with an emphasis on Film. While studying at Messiah, he spent a semester at Temple University where he studied under award winning documentary filmmaker Rea Tajiri. He then attended Temple University’s Los Angeles summer internship program, where he worked with award winning producers Joanna Adler and Kerri Selig at Intuition Productions. While working as a photographer in Philadelphia and Buffalo, Christian produced multiple short films, including Jonathan Stutzman’s “Paper Turtle,” which has screened internationally and gone on to win multiple awards at film festivals. After moving to the Harrisburg, Pennsylvania region in 2012, he started the video production company C&K Cinematography with his wife Krista, which eventually transformed into CAP Collective when they merged with filmmaker Cody Wanner. He has worked with clients such as Cleveland State University, Penn State Hershey Hospital and Four Diamonds, Messiah College, Arete Imagine Inc and Human Life Services. He and his wife Krista received a grant this year from The Pollination Project to work on the post- production of their film, “Our Feet Are Rooted,” a documentary about land theft in Northern Uganda. He has a passion for working on social documentary and is excited to be a part of the From Liberty to Captivity team.
Krista Imbesi: Editor
Krista attended Messiah College and received a BA in Communication with a minor in Studio Art. After graduation she attended Temple University’s Los Angeles internship program and worked at the International Documentary Association. She also worked on the pre-production of a Grace Lee’s documentary American Revolutionary: The Evolution of Grace Lee Boggs as well as the post-production of Jennifer Arnold’s film, A Small Act, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and aired on HBO. In fall of 2009, Krista began working on her MFA in the Media Studies Department at the University at Buffalo, where she also taught film courses. While at SUNY Buffalo, Krista studied under award winning ethnographic filmmaker Sarah Elder and distinguished American writer, photographer, and documentary filmmaker Bruce Jackson. In 2011 Krista received a Mark Diamond Research Grant to make her thesis, Where We Belong, which was filmed in Jinja, Uganda and focuses on orphan issues and the influence of Western aid on the region. Where We Belong premiered at the Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Center in Buffalo, NY and has been screened internationally, winning multiple awards. After graduating with her MFA in Media Arts from the University at Buffalo, Krista began teaching film courses in the Department of Communication at Messiah College. She is currently co-running CAP Collective and is a Senior Lecturer at Messiah College.
David DeMarco: Editor
David DeMarco became interested in video production as a freshman in high school when he was invited to check out a fellow classmate’s garage TV studio, and has been hooked ever since. After high school, David attended Rowan University, where he received a BA in Communications with a concentration in Radio, Television and Film and studied under award-winning documentary filmmaker and screenwriter Ned Eckhardt. It was during college that David’s passion for video and film grew immensely. After graduation, David owned and operated a successful deejay entertainment company and did freelance production work, honing his skills as an editor and cameraman. He soon sold the company and focused entirely on video production where he did editing for reality TV series’ Perfect Proposal, Ambush Makeover and Trading Places, and his clients included The Food Network, NHL, NBA, NCAA, NASCAR, NJ Devils, Philadelphia Flyers, Florida Panthers, Nashville Predators, First Union Center, Right Management and NovaCare. Also, he served as Vice President of the Philadelphia Chapter of the International Television Association. In addition, David realized one of his dreams of shooting a film internationally when he went to Chechnya as a cinematographer for In His Fields Missions, documenting the entire trip and winning the bronze Telly award for the film. Afterwards, David joined NBC Sports Philadelphia (formerly Comcast SportsNet) as an Avid editor and for 23 years, he excelled as one of the network’s premier video editors, winning three Emmy Awards. While at NBC Sports, David met Debbie Wright and learned about human trafficking. He jumped at the opportunity to help in the fight against forced prostitution, using his amazing skills of telling engaging stories through his editing as well as creating compelling visuals for those stories.
Cody Wanner: Cinematographer
Cody became interested in video production early on when he and his friends wanted a way to capture skateboarding tricks and summer memories. After graduating from high school, he traveled to Turkey, documenting his group’s entire trip with the camera. He then went on to attend Messiah College where he studied Communication with a concentration in Film Production. It was during college that Cody learned about human trafficking, and became very interested in the fight against forced prostitution. After graduation, he began working in Messiah’s Development Office, honing his fundraising, sales and relationship-building skills. A few years later, Cody and his wife, Amber, led a group of nine people to Thailand where they partnered with two organizations fighting forced prostitution. Cody was deeply impacted by that trip, and a month after returning, he began pursuing video production full time as his career. Less than a year later, Christian, Krista, and Cody created CAP Collective LLC. In one of their very first business meetings, Christian told Cody about a documentary he was working on exploring the fight against sex trafficking in Pennsylvania. Cody, astonished, told Christian about his past experience with the subject and his excitement to be able to work on the project. Cody has an artistic eye and greatly enjoys the challenge of creating compelling visuals.
Wayne Dixon: Stills Photographer
Wayne has always loved art; as a kid he would draw what he saw as he sat in church. In high school he first got bit by the camera bug and since then that has been his primary artistic tool. He served in the Army Special Forces and studied Art at Temple University. His Fine Art photography has won numerous awards and appeared in various juried competitions. During a From Liberty To Captivity fundraiser Wayne noticed that there was not any still photography in the trailer and inquired if there was a photographer working on the film. He has been on the team ever since. Wayne’s creative contributions are woven throughout the film in the form of still photos and video and continues to serve in post production process with imagery for our digital and print media. It is his compassion for those who are enslaved that makes him part of the modern-day abolitionist movement.
