Movie Pitch: Unaccompanied Minor by Kitania Kavey

I have begun the new year with a completed screenplay, and lots of things to look forward to. The house is for sale, and we've been exploring neighborhoods on the tandem, looking at new places. Now taking a short break from that, as it snowed and the temperature has dropped to -7.4C. A little bit too chilly for this delicate flower.

Here's my latest screenplay info, as promised:
Unaccompanied Minor

Genre: Action, Drama

It's like Léon: The Professional meets The Transporter.

Logline:  A lowly Passenger Assistant accidentally uncovers a pedophilia ring operating through a busy European airport, and goes on the run with a young sex worker in order to save her life. When his attempts to get help from the police and other authorities fail, he struggles to smuggle the girl to safety outside the country before they are both captured by either the criminals or the police.  Inspired by a true story.

 

It took me about a year to complete this script, although that included doing a lot of research into the general subject, interviews, touring the Red Light district in Amsterdam, and shadowing the real-life hero while he did his job at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol.

 

What touched me the most, is that there are hundreds of thousands of children who are sexually exploited, many of them abandoned, unwanted or runaways, some orphans or children who were sold into the sex trade by their own parents - who even if "rescued" have no safe home to return to. 

 

Of course if your child was abducted or disappeared, you would do something about it, contact police, detectives, do whatever you could to find them.  For too many children, like the girl in Unaccompanied Minor, no one is looking for them.  They are forgotten, outside of the pedophilia rings who buy, sell and transport them around the globe to anyone with cash, at least until they get too old.

 

The best way I know to help make a change for the better, is to tell the public about the problem.  Airlines and governments can make changes, enact laws, but without public pressure, they seem less motivated to try and curb the international trafficking of children.  So my hope is that by putting a real-life story into a screenplay (and then on to the big screen), I will be doing my part in contributing to change for a better future, for everyone, and best of all, giving a voice to the voiceless.

 

  



A Journey Through England - Part 3

I know, I have been trying for ages to complete this one journey.  The good news is that the health issues are being dealt with by wonderful doctors and specialists.  I have had the good fortune to discover the best pain (management) center right here in Alkmaar, and things are looking up.  Not only did they find damage to my spine, but I've already begun with a possible treatment.  For some reason it takes a painful treament (long needles in the back to deaden the nerves) to get rid of or lessen my chronic pain, but it's worth it.  I cannot begin to describe how grateful I am to have health insurance!

I also get to try out my eye patch experiment soon to see about trying to get control over my vision problems.  With the limp from my back pain and an eyepatch, I'll probably scare all the children in my neighborhood - although pirates are part of the Dutch history, so maybe they won't mind too much.

But back to the amazing trip to England... We traveled on up to Yorkshire to meet up with friends.



(King) Arthur, me, and Jeroen (J.J.)

Arthur and his wife Moyra are the sweetest, kindest, nicest couple I have ever met - and I've been alive now for 44 years!  They spent several days showing us around, and introducing us to the flavors of the region.  They thought of everything, and took care of us as if we were royalty.  It is my wish that every year we can return to spend time with them.  I could never be as good a person myself as they both are - but now that I've spent time with them, I'm inspired to become better.  I had an absolutely brilliant time with them, and am so grateful to have them as friends.  I really must be the luckiest person on earth!

English sheep

I had no idea that sheep all had different-sounding voices.  This one had the deepest bleet I've ever heard, as if he was the Barry White of sheep.  Magnificent!

 

  Charlottes Real Jersey Ice Cream Parlour

 

Perhaps a picture is worth a thousand words, but until you taste... only then does it all become clear how delicious England is!  Besides having their own cows, there is also a small menagerie of animals - and the view from the top of a hill is amazing. 

 

Later on, we also went to Thorntons - while I didn't have the chocolates they are so famous for, I did have more delicious ice cream.

 

I was introduced to the egg custard, and apple juice with elderberry flower.  I ate chocolates and cakes every day - and no one minded that I drink coffee rather than tea. 

 

I don't have a good photo of one of the first places we visited - but they have a good website that describes it all in detail.  The National Coal Mining Museum was a terrific place to visit, and the underground tour makes the history and lives of the miners real. 

 

Still, lots more to cover - and I'm going to have to cut this entry short, as I've been working really hard on finishing my screenplay.  I'll post my pitch video in the next entry, along with all the story details.  For now, I hope everyone has enjoyed the holidays and is looking forward to all the great things to come in 2013.