Still I Rise is an intimate character driven documentary about resilience, love, and #blackgirlslivesmatter. 

STILL I RISE WINS PRESTIGIOUS SAUL ZAENTZ AWARD FROM BERKELEY FILM FOUNDATION

FILM SAMPLE

Still I Rise is an intimate character driven story about resilience, love and #blackgirlslivesmatter.. We follow the stories of two sex trafficking survivors from the Bay Area who refuse to be defined by their trauma. Leah Albright-Byrd and Regina Evans are much more than survivors of sexual exploitation. We see their warmth and spirit as entrepreneurs, sisters, artists, policy makers, and mentors, and their fuller humanity revealed.  The film explores why sex trafficking in America disproportionately impacts girls and women of color. Regina and Leah are living proof that survivors of human trafficking can be many things, including national leaders in the campaign to end modern day slavery. Their dedication has resulted in new legislation, victim services and a commitment to #blackgirlslivesmatter.

 

Leah Albright-Byrd

In 2011, Leah Albright-Byrd created the anti-trafficking non-profit, Bridget's Dream to support sex trafficking victims and their families in California to restore dignity and meaning to her experiences as a survivor of child sex trafficking. Her redemptive story was featured on Katie Couric, Oprah Winfrey, and BET TV.  She served as a spokeswoman for record-breaking Prop 35 in California, increasing penalties for human traffickers. Leah is conversational in German, loves to work out, and is an adoring big sister to her three younger brothers. A charming introvert, a writer, and a lover of cats, Leah was once a doctoral candidate in psychology.

Regina Evans

In 2014, Regina Evans launched Regina's Door, a high-end vintage boutique in downtown Oakland that employs trafficking survivors. She currently partners with Love Never Fails, a Bay Area non-profit dedicated to the restoration, education, and protection of domestic sex trafficking victims. As a playwright, poet and social entrepreneur, Regina was awarded Best of 2013 San Francisco Fringe Festival for her play, 52 Letters, a one-woman theatrical pearl. The play caught the notice of President Obama, who confirmed his support of the effort through a personal White House phone call.

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