Show Me Democracy
Featured on FUSE TV
Show Me Democracy is a feature length documentary. Amidst the uprising in Ferguson, seven St. Louis college students evolve into advocates and activists as they demand change through policy and protest. The project was in collaboration with The Scholarship Foundation of St. Louis and Continuity. Support has been provided from the Missouri Arts Council, Missouri Humanities Council, Regional Arts Council and the Greater St. Louis Community Foundation.
What Matters?
What Matters? (formerly called Give a Damn?) is an award-winning feature length documentary that reveals a powerful perspective on what really matters in life. It is an inspiring story about three young men (an Atheist and two Christians) who journey across three continents immersing themselves in poverty. Their intent is to experience extreme poverty and explore the questions that we all have. What can and should we do to help the over a billion people who live everyday on less than a $1.25? It is a dramatic life and death journey into real physical and emotional tragedy, but also a humorous and thrilling story of courage, hope, enlightenment, friendship, commitment, recovery, and heroic love. It lives up to its tagline of “Connecting those who need something to live for with those who need something to live.”
Most of us are not able to put our lives on hold to explore these kinds of questions, but these guys have done it for us! This film shows us that everyone can make a real difference in their own lives and in the lives of others.
They have worked over 5 years and traveled 15 countries to make the film. The film has played over a dozen festivals and has screened over 100 times at colleges, churches and organizations.
When The Saints
When the Saints film documents the story of God’s mission to fight sexual exploitation in the heart of Malawi, Africa, and one man’s journey to discover that it begins in his own heart. Beautiful, honest, vulnerable, and wildly compelling, this story challenges us all to explore the unplumbed depths of our hearts. It calls us to care about justice for girls who are trafficked in rural Africa, and at the same time asks us to examine the ways we either dignify or exploit our brothers and sisters. Both thought provoking and universal, this film is a powerful tool to rally the saints with a greater cry for purity. This film was directed and edited by Speak Up Productions.
Thunderdome
https://www.facebook.com/thunderdomedoc
Thunderdome is a feature length documentary that follows the true story of Rob Lehr, a man haunted by death who chose to engage life rather than escape it. It is a film about how the power of community helps us deal with the tragedies and difficulties in our life.
This film follows Rob as he builds a Nerf battlefield in his backyard, immerses himself in Humans Vs Zombies, and how all that helped him to cope with PTSD after a deadly plane crash. (The film is not affiliated with Hasbro.) Speak Up Productions collaborated on the project and Dan Parris, founder of Speak Up Productions, was Producer and Director of Photography.
Dignity Harbor: A Home Away from Homelessness
Dignity Harbor: A Home Away from Homelessness follows the story of a year’s time at Dignity Harbor; a homeless encampment nestled along the Mississippi River just north of the St. Louis Arch. Their first struggle is to survive living in the bitter cold of the coming winter, but as temperatures drop and tempers rise, they soon must struggle to survive living with themselves. All with the City looming over, just waiting for a chance to move them out. Speak Up Productions helped with marketing and touring for the film Dignity Harbor.