Logline: A hopeful young girl fights against the dark and unforgiving world of human trafficking.

Short Synopsis: After meeting a young man at her graduation party, Anna goes on her first date. All goes well, until she wakes up in a dark, dreary room, surrounded by girls her age. It does not take long for her to realize that she has been dragged into the disturbing world of human trafficking. The girls are constantly berated and beaten by the traffickers and their ruthless leader, Victor. With the help of Maria, another young girl caught in the mass, and Joshua, a man unwittingly thrown into the web, Anna refuses to give up hope as she fights to break free from the trafficker’s lethal grasp.

Length: 34 minutes

Director: Adriana Comsa

Producer: King Louie Palomo

About the director and producer: Adriana Comsa and King Louie Palomo both graduated from the Film Production Program at Vancouver Film School where they met. King Louie graduated October 2014 while Adriana graduated February 2015.

Originally from Mexico City, Adriana has lived in Mexico, Romania, Australia, and now resides in Vancouver, Canada. She is a unique combination of creativity, vision, and passion. After finishing film school, she began directing her most important piece to date: Salva Nos. Adriana is motivated to build and be a part of an inclusive team of creative people, working together through media as a global community for a global social justice change.

King Louie is a unique combination of realism and vision. He grew up in the Philippines and has been charmed with arts, sciences, and history. He immigrated to Canada with his family and is now pursuing his dreams in the film world. He has an unquenchable thirst for knowledge and immerses himself in anything related to media and filmmaking. Full of resolve, he is motivated by his desire to create stories that speak to people in a way that stays with them even after the credits have rolled.

Looking for: Buyers, Distributors, Film Festival Directors, Journalist and other Media Interest

Funders: Various crowdfunding investors

Made in co-operation with: Union of B.C. Performers

Completion Date: June 2015

Why did you make a film called SALVA NOS?

The first time I heard about ‘human trafficking’, I was just heartbroken to realize about the cruel reality that millions of people around the world are experiencing. Making this film happen was one of the ways to resonate their cry for help and the urgency for us, as a society to be part of the solution.

Our main character ‘Anna’ is just a manifestation of the millions of lives across the world and her story loosely follows the structure of true events of women who have revealed their story.

Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?

The story is not just about statistics; this is about lives, lives that deserved to be rescued, protected, and restored. Our goal is to show the audience how beautiful and precious life is while at the same time displaying that it does not come without its own dangers.

How do personal and universal themes work in your film?

Human trafficking is one of the world’s fastest growing criminal industries and it affects every nation across the globe. It could happen to anyone; our best friend, our children, our siblings, and the urgency to start acting is now and not leave it for tomorrow. It's a constant battle between darkness and light, where hope becomes our theme, ‘Hope for The Future’.

How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development and production?

Salva Nos started as a treatment for a feature film but then it was adapted into a short film. The short screenplay was supposed to be pitched as a final project in film school but didn’t get enough ‘Yes's’. Adriana came up to me (King Louie) to originally just read the script and give some opinions. We ended teaming up together to make this wonderful film.

What type of feedback have you received so far?

We have some amazing feedback from the Stage 32 Film/TV/Theater community, here’s some of them:

● “What a chilling scenes. Great, subtle acting too. She (Hannah Pederson) reminds me of Brit Marling.” - Joey Tuccio (President of Stage 32 Happy Writers)

● “Very intense and dark, foreboding and fear inducing. Formidable scenes.” - Valerie Connelly (Founder of Nightengale Media LLC)

Salva Nos also recently had a World Premiere in Seattle, Washingon at the National Film Festival for Talented Youth and won the Audience Award in the Powerful Grit Section.

Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?

We are so happy that feedback has been positive.

Some viewers didn’t realize that there are more slaves in the world today than at any other point in human history, with an estimated 27 million in bondage across the globe. Men, women, and children are being exploited for manual and sexual labor against their will.

What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?

Through this platform, Salva Nos seeks not just to entertain, but to encourage and empower every individual to take action. This platform is also a great way to grow viewership of all kinds and make our voice heard as filmmakers.

Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?

Buyers, Distributors, Film Festival Directors, Journalists and other media interests.

What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?

We strive to have a global impact with each individual that watches the film, that it will make them to feel inspired to take a stand against any type of human slavery. That Salva Nos will be part of an inclusive and united movement with the goal to bring social action and a global solution for a global problem.

What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?

Salva Nos relies in the roots of creating awareness, informing and educating about the problem, and introduces a very important question: “What am I going to do about it?”

Would you like to add anything else?

You can follow us through our website: www.salvanosshortfilm.com

Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/SalvaNosShortFilm

What are the key creatives developing or working on now?

Adriana Comsa is currently working in various feature film and TV productions in Vancouver, Canada. She is also developing another short film and hoping to shoot in the Fall.

King Louie Palomo recently co-founded a production company called ‘Wild Horse Pictures Inc.’ along with his partner Andrea Bucko. The company is in financing stage for their first feature length film to be shot both in Canada and the Philippines. At the moment, he is working on a short film titled, ‘Lost Beneath The Stars’ and currently in post-production. At the same time, he is working as a part-time Junior Admin Assistant in a Film/TV Clearance company called ‘The Research House Clearance Services Inc.’.