Inspired by true events, Milkshake Girls tells the story of teen cousins, Jess and Stella, who are talent scouted outside of a milkshake store, only to quickly find themselves enslaved in the illicit underground world of sex trafficking.

Interview with Writer/Director/Producer Viva Bianca

Watch Milkshake Girls here:

Congratulations! Why did you make your film?

Thank you! About six years ago, I was at an anti-sex trafficking event in Hollywood, hosted by AnnaLynne McCord, who's an old friend of mine. That night, she told the story on which Milkshake Girls is based -- in 2008 in Toledo, Ohio, two teen cousins were lured into a stranger's car in broad daylight outside of a milkshake store under false pretenses and forced into sex slavery. Until that moment, I had believed sex trafficking to be almost exclusively a developing world problem.

I have since learned that an estimated 100,000 - 300,000 American minors are enslaved in sex trafficking inside the United States, and that California is one of the most problematic trafficking states in the country, downtown LA being an illicit sex trade mecca. The fact that most people -- previously myself included -- don't know about this was my reason to make the film. Also, for some reason I was never able to get that story, first told to me by AnnaLynne, out of my head. Those are the ones that have to be made, I believe. And it's no coincidence that AnnaLynne ended up playing one of the lead characters in the film.

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

Because everyone has a daughter, a sister, a niece, a girlfriend or is themselves a teenage girl. These characters and this story is tragically local and relatable.

AnnaLynne McCord as "Divinity" and Johnathan Fernandez as "Daddy" recruit at a milkshake stand

How do personal and universal themes work in your film?

Milkshake Girls rests on the universal themes of freedom vs. enslavement and innocence vs. corruption. To reinforce these themes, we adopted mixed filmic mediums and got a little creative with costume and production design and hair and makeup. So all the scenes where the teen cousins are 'free,' prior to their abduction, are shot on Super 16mm, and the overall color grade and production design is flooded with warmth and a sense of nostalgia. Whereas, when in captivity, we shot on an Alexa Mini, which is digital, and we introduced much cooler tones, a hand-held camera technique, and an overall grittier feel.

Also, as a survivor myself of rape, I wanted to explore the very nuanced dimensions of sexual assault and abuse of power. This is obviously a more personal theme. For instance, I've been asked by some men after seeing the film, why the girls didn't scream, kick their oppressor in the balls, bash through the window, or run toward the cops. Most women will intuitively, if not experientially, know the answer to this; Psychological fear and intimidation, particularly for a young woman or girl, can be so powerful that it can leave her voiceless, motionless or catatonic. Fear or enslavement of the mind is a kind of death.

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

A LOT. The screenplay originally told a more literal version of the true story on which it was inspired. But when Vanessa Perez and Robyn Holt came on as producers, we embarked on a development period, which brought the story to 2019 in LA. This was a great reminder to me of the power of collaboration and that creation really does take a village. It took bouncing ideas off of them to unlock certain aspects of the script.

We decided that since most sex trafficking in America is initiated online, we needed social media and smartphones to play a part in our story. This then expanded to the idea of teenage girls, selfies and social media profiles, and their relationship to the allure of Hollywood -- since so many young women and girls aspire to be famous or noticed online today. In our story, this aspiration and oversharing online is what leaves our young protagonist, Jess, played by the enigmatic Ryan Simpkins, vulnerable.

Georgie T. Willow as "Stella" and Ryan Simpkins as "Jess" take a selfie

What type of feedback have you received so far?

Most people only tell me the good stuff. Many of them are brought to tears, which is a compliment. A few people haven't understood my mixed filmic medium experiment or why the characters, especially AnnaLynne's character, look one way in one scene and quite different in the next (glamorous and then grubby). My intention behind this was to explore the notion of perception: we can see the world and others through rose-colored glasses if the circumstances in our life permit us to, or through a dank dishcloth when our circumstances change. Unfortunately, we made the film to be seen in a theater, yet most people will watch it on their laptops. Much is lost. For that reason, were I to go back and make the film again, I might think twice about this (perhaps overly clever) approach.

Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?

As I mentioned earlier, some people, mostly men, have expressed their frustration with the inaction of the teen girls in my film who find themselves enslaved. But I stand by the way myself and the actors crafted those characters, since we approached every moment in the story from a place of empathy. That is to say, when I was 15 if I had been in that situation, what would I have done? The answer is what you see on the screen. I also think that men know little about the fear of men.

AnnaLynne McCord as "Divinity," Natalia Warner as "Bambi," Ryan Simpkins as "Jess" and Georgia T. Willow as "Stella" work a truck stop

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

I'd love people in LA to come to our North American premiere on July 25 at LA International Short Film Festival (you can buy tickets through the Laemmle Noho (NOHO 7) website)! I also really hope to provoke more conversation about the life-destroying black market of sex trafficking. It breaks my heart to think that right now and now and now a girl is suffering in slavery.

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

Sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists!

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

The ultimate goal is to abolish sex slavery and trafficking by way of awareness spreading. There are many great organizations working to rescue and rehabilitate children and women from sex trafficking which is heroic and crucial. But prevention is also important. Without it, we may just be chasing our tails. I'd welcome any school, organization or education facility to partner with Milkshake Girls and incorporate it into their syllabus or program.

Behind the scenes of Milkshake Girls (Viva Bianca watching playback on the monitor)

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

If we accept that 'supply meets demand' and that the average age of a sex trafficking victim is 13 (in a $32 billion-a-year industry), what does this tell us about pedophilia?

Would you like to add anything else?

I was blessed with a dream cast, and believe that the film was elevated by their performances. I had written the role of Jess for Ryan and then hounded her for the next year and a half with new versions of the script and a heartfelt letter until she finally agreed to do it. We even moved our production dates to accommodate her vacation. She exceeded my expectations. AnnaLynne, Georgia and Natalia equally embraced their roles with total commitment, bravery and vulnerability. It was an honor directing each of them and their work speaks for itself. Johnathan, who plays Daddy, was really stretched outside of his comfort zone with this film and I was grateful for his commitment to bringing truth and authenticity to such a corrupt man.

What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?

I'm currently working on a documentary about student climate strikes.

Interview: July 2019

We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series, music video, women's films, LGBTQIA+, POC, First Nations, scifi, supernatural, horror, world cinema. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela

Milkshake Girls

Length: 18:14

Director: Viva Bianca

Producer: Vanessa Perez

Writer: Viva Bianca

About the writer, director and producer:

VIVA BIANCA is an Australian actress-turned-writer/director living in Los Angeles. Having starred in the Starz series Spartacus (2010 - 2012), alongside Demi Moore and Alec Baldwin in Blind (2017), alongside Maggie Grace, Elizabeth McGovern and Uzo Aduba in Showing Roots (Lifetime 2017), and opposite Luke Hemsworth in The Reckoning (Cannes 2014), in 2019 Viva completed her Master of Arts: Writing degree through Swinburne University of Technology (Melbourne, Australia). As a filmmaker, she is now committed to a new paradigm in film and TV storytelling: the female gaze.

VANESSA PEREZ is an independent producer focusing on multicultural content. Perez was the executive in charge of Miss Bala, that made waves at Cannes (Un Certain Regard). Perez Associate Produced Cesar Chavez, starring Michael Peña, America Ferrera and Rosario Dawson. Most recently Perez has been a recipient of the San Francisco Film Society Ranin Grant with the project Kee-Kay and the AT&T Tribeca Untold Stories with the project Washing Elena.

Key cast: Ryan Simpkins (Jess), AnnaLynne McCord (Divinity), Georgia T. Willow (Stella), Natalia Warner (Bambi), Johnathan Fernandez (Daddy)

Looking for: distributors, buyers, journalists, film festival directors

Facebook: Viva Bianca

Twitter: @VivaBianca

Instagram: @vivabianca

Hashtags used: #milkshakegirls #awarenessispower #protectwomen #endslavery

Other: IMDb

Made in association with: Together1Heart, Awareness is Power

Funders: Fiscally sponosred by Together1Heart

Where can I watch it next and in the coming month? LA International Short Film Festival/Noho 7 (Laemmle NoHo) - July 25 @ 7.45pm; Madrid International Film Festival/Madrid - Aug 13