Press Kit
Official Website
Click the link to open an official Website for this project that is sanctioned by the filmmakers.
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http://www.theabolitionistsmovie.com
YouTube Channel
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVuyJOo8lE_tRFJSD9VJMmQ/feed
FaceBook
https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Abolitionists/1407064522854801
Twitter
https://twitter.com/AbolitionistsTV
Google Hangout
https://plus.google.com/102944296319760036541/about?cfem=1
Short Synopsis
Former Special Agent Tim Ballard has spent over a decade rescuing children from child sex
tourism both domestically and overseas before founding his own organization, http://
www.ourrescue.org, and saving the children that fall out of the purview of the US.
This is the story about the lost children and the attempt to investigate and liberate them from
around the world.
Medium Synopsis
On December 10Th, 2013 Special Agent Tim Ballard turned in his Homeland Security badge
and resigned from his employment with the United States government. He had spent over a
decade rescuing children from child sex tourism both domestically and overseas. He was proud
that his country was actually doing something about this problem. However, mired in red tape
and bureaucracy, Tim left to begin saving the children that fell out of the purview of the US.
These children constitute over 90% of those lost to child sex slavery.
This is the story about the lost children and Tim’s organization, Operation Underground
Railroad’s, (http://www.ourrescue.org,) attempt to investigate and liberate them from around the
world.
Directors Statement
When we first set out to make this film we wanted to help the cause but all we could do is make
films. Knowing very little about the actual world of child sex trafficking, we were nervous about
how the experience would impact each of us and our families. Chet and I have relayed very little
to our families. In some small way I now understand why veterans from wars don't go home and
brag about what they've done or tour around giving speeches about their experiences on the
battlefield. How selfish that perspective now seems after having seen the faces of these young children. It
was an honor to follow these brave men and women and be a part of their team that is involved
in such important work.
We pray that our film lives up to the importance and weight of the cause.
Press Kit
Production Notes
"Never Too Many Cameras"
Cameras have progressed so far in the last few years. In this film we used every kind of camera
we could think of. They had to be small and well hidden or our lives could be held in the
balance. That's a nerve-wracking experience to know that the shot you're trying to get could be
your last. We had hidden cameras in our watches, phones, shirts, hats, sunglasses, jackets,
backpacks and followed those up with small helicopters, gyro rigs, DSLRs and small point and
shoots. When we rolled into the staging area and set up, you hardly knew we were there... but
there were cameras everywhere. I think at the height of the final scene we had 28 cameras
rolling. This would have been impossible to pull off only a few years ago.
All this footage also had to serve two masters. First, we were making a movie and we needed
enough footage to cut that would tell a story. Second, we had to get the traffickers to talk and
say things on camera because all the footage was also going to be used in the prosecution of
these people by their local authorities.
It was a learning process that we had to adapt quickly to but the results were essential to the
prosecution as well as our finished film.
"Working With Foreign Governments"
Having to work with three different governments and convince them all to let us go under cover
with their officers was no simple task. Each country has their own unique trafficking laws and
how they must be implemented as well. Trying to explain why we wanted to film them doing it all
was no cake walk either.
Ultimately, everyone got on board because they could see the benefits of having a film made,
which tells their story and exposes this unbearable problem. To show the world that we can do
more than just talk about the issue... we can abolish it.
Executive Producer
Gerald R. Molen
Producer/Director
Darrin Fletcher
FletChet Entertainment
[email protected]
Producer/Director
Chet Thomas
FletChet Entertainment
[email protected]
Featuring
Timothy Ballard
Music By
Tim Jones
Edited By
Mike Chenoweth
Runtime
Press Kit
87 minutes
Biographies
Gerald R. Molen
Mr. Molen is the Academy Award winning producer of Schindler’s List and producer of other hit
titles such as Jurassic Park and Minority Report. Mr. Molen broke into the film business in 1957
at Republic Studios then moved to Universal Studios in 1967 to work on Bound for Glory,
Coming Home, Being There, Ordinary People, and Absence of Malice.
Joining the Director’s Guild of America as a Unit Production Manager he worked on The
Postman Always Rings Twice, Tootsie, A Soldier’s Story, and The Color Purple. He earned
Executive Producer credits on Bright Lights, Big City and Days of Thunder. He has CoProduced several films including Rain Man and Batteries Not Included and received Producer
credit on Hook, as well as on the titles first listed above.
As Head of Production at Amblin he served as Executive Producer on The Flinstones, Little
Rascals, Casper, Little Giants, and Twister, among others. He has appeared in front of the
camera in Rain Man, Days of Thunder, Jurassic Park, and Amistad.
Mr. Molen holds an honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts degree from the University of Montana and
an honorary Doctorate of Visual and Performing Arts from Southern Utah University.
Chet Thomas: Print Return, Print Shipper, Producer, Publicist
Before becoming a producing partner with Gerald Molen at WhiteLight Entertainment, Mr.
Thomas worked with him on Steven Spielberg’s Minority Report. Prior to that, he worked at
DreamWorks for several years, where he first served in the story department, collaborating on
such projects as Amistad, Deep Impact and Saving Private Ryan. He quickly moved to feature
development, where he played an active role in Meet the Parents, Mouse Hunt, Road to
Perdition, Small Soldiers and several other films.
Most recently, Mr. Thomas produced the film TAKE, starring Academy Award®-nominated actors
Minnie Driver and Jeremy Renner, which has won many ‘Best of’ categories in festivals around
the country. He is also a producer on the film The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, scheduled for
Christmas 2015 release by Walden Media.
Darrin Fletcher: Print Return, Print Shipper, Producer, Publicist, Submission Contact, Writer
Mr. Fletcher began his film career in high school as a layout artist for XAM Animation Studio,
creating layouts for Saturday morning cartoons Spiderman and The Transformers. There he
become very familiar with storyboards and telling stories through pictures. He was soon offered
a job at Walt Disney Animation Studios but turned it down to follow his long-time dream of liveaction filmmaking.
Since that time, Mr. Fletcher has worked as a storyboard artist on more than 65 feature films,
including The World’s Fastest Indian, Sandlot, High School Musical 3 and A Life Less Ordinary.
He has boarded hundreds of international commercials including the popular Foundation For A
Better Life campaigns. He has also had extensive experience with large format IMAX®
productions such as, Mysteries of Egypt, Shackleton's Antarctic Adventure and The Witness.
Television has also been an large part of Mr. Fletcher’s career, visualizing and storyboarding
dozens of various pilots and television series, including Charmed, Touched by an Angel, 7 Days,
Extreme Rescue, Crossroads and Everwood.
Official Movie Trailer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFJCC6wYkP0
Press Kit
Press Clip #1
The footage in this clip was developed to allow the press access too some footage from the
missions.
https://vimeo.com/117678302
Press Clip #2
The footage in this clip was developed to allow the press access too some footage from the
missions.
https://vimeo.com/117678301
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News & Reviews
"One man's mission to rescue child sex-trafficking victims"
CBS Evening News (October 15, 2014)
Last weekend, police broke up a major sex-trafficking ring in Colombia, which has become a
destination for tourists looking for sex with boys and girls.
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/one-mans-mission-to-rescue-child-sex-trafficking-victims/
"Undercover for Alleged Underage Prostitution Raid at Colombia Villa"
ABC News (October 15, 2014)
Part 2: Tim Ballard's team sets the trap for alleged child sex traffickers who think they a bringing
girls to a party.
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http://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/video/undercover-alleged-underage-prostitution-raidcolombia-villa-26205014
"Going undercover to rescue child sex slaves"
Fox News Sunday (November 09, 2014)
Power Player of the Week: Operation Underground Railroad's Tim Ballard
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http://www.foxnews.com/on-air/fox-news-sunday-chris-wallace/videos#p/158303/v/
3883231093001
"The Underground World of Colombia's Child Sex Trafficking Trade"
ABC News (October 15, 2014)
Part 1: Former CIA agent Tim Ballard and team set up a sting operation with authorities in
Cartagena.
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http://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/video/underground-world-colombias-child-sex-traffickingtrade-26204938
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"‘Walking Dead’ actress helps free children"
MSNBC - The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnel (October 28, 2014)
Laurie Holden who played “Andrea” on “The Walking Dead,” teamed up with an ex-CIA agent to
save dozens of kids from sex slavery in Colombia. She tells the amazing story.
http://www.msnbc.com/the-last-word/watch/walking-dead-actress-helps-freechildren-348805699554