Memphis native makes movie to shed light on human trafficking

A Memphis native is using his background in law enforcement to shed light on a human trafficking problem worldwide and he's doing it on the silver screen.

FOX13 has the story of a movie debut aimed at bringing awareness to sex trafficking. The associate producer of “Meet the Snows” is Frederick Harper. He is a retiring police sergeant from Atlanta PD. He said that he hopes the movie sheds light on how criminal enterprises use human trafficking.

”We have an opportunity with connecting with the Lisieux community there in Memphis, who is very in-depth with human trafficking there in Memphis, Tennessee,” Harper said.

Lisieux Community Program Director Whitney Fullerton said the programs here provide human trafficking survivors with help at the street level with necessities like showers, laundry and clothing.

She said she hopes the movie is a hit.

”It's entertaining, but the message behind it is hopefully going to bring awareness about an issue that a lot of people aren't aware exists in their community,” Fullerton said.

Fullerton said funding for programs that help human trafficking survivors is scarce at times.

Melissa Eaton, a human trafficking survivor, said she doesn't know what she would do without Lisieux's help.

”A lot of stuff, some knowledge and how to better take care of myself because I was out there you know,” Eaton said.

Set in Atlanta, Harper said “Meet the Snows” highlights how criminal enterprises systematically target the innocent and lure them against their will. He said the goal was not only to produce an action-packed film but to also bring more awareness to sex trafficking on a local and international scale.

”This is a great opportunity from a lot of different levels because the project is very layered. We want to represent and bring some awareness to Memphis,” Harper said.

“Meet the Snows” premieres in Memphis on October 27 at the Wolfchase Cinema.