INDIANAPOLIS — A local filmmaking company is creating short narrative films to help survivors of human and sex trafficking.
Talking about past trauma is hard, especially for survivors of abuse in the sex industry.
Point of View Story wants to make those difficult conversations possible and allow survivors to see themselves reflected in the storytelling.
“I finally feel heard," survivor Amanda Pulley said. “When you experience something like human trafficking you can’t heal through it without letting yourself experience it. But it’s painful. And it’s hard.”
It can take years for survivors to heal.
Pulley says art, specifically, film helped her.
“They allow you to experience it in a third party. So you’re watching it happen to this other person and you’re starting to name it. You’re like wow, she was betrayed, she was abandoned," she said.
Indy-based filmmaker Mark Steenbarger wants his storytelling to fuel healing like Pulley’s.
His business Point of View Story creates therapeutic films for those impacted by harm and violence in the sex industry.
“When I educated myself on what sex trafficking actually looks like here in Indianapolis, I was like oh my goodness. Can we make a moment for them?”
Steenbarger works with a licensed social worker to identify stuck points for survivors.
So far, POV Story has created 10 films with themes like identity, grief, consent and more.
“A big part of mark’s success has been his passion and his commitment. He identified this need that needed to be met and he is committed to fulfilling it," Steenbarger's mentor Debbie Guy said.
Guy works with SCORE, the nation’s largest network of volunteer, expert business mentors.
Its 10,000 volunteers provide free, expert mentoring, resources and education for small business owners in Indianapolis and beyond.
POV Story partners with local agencies like Ascent 121 and Indiana Department of Child Services to show its films to survivors.
“It’s beginning to peel the onion. Begin to move the needle and create that space for ‘maybe it’s not her fault,'" Steenbarger said.
In addition to local organizations, POV Story is international.
Some of the films have even been translated into Spanish and Romanian.
