International Justice Mission will be hosting the Washington, DC premier of At the End of Slavery, tonight at 7pm ET!

Please follow IJMcampaigns on Twitter for live updates on this evening’s event!

The votes have been tallied and we are pleased to announce the winner of the At the End of Slavery Trailer Contest Judges’ Choice Winner!

“STAND TOGETHER” by Melissa Mills and Lucas Harris

We look forward to having our winners attend the Washington, DC premiere at the GALA Theatre on September 30, 2009, where their winning entry will be presented prior to the film screening.

Congratulations, Melissa and Lucas!

“Heroes Undercover”, an IJM Freedom Partner podcast, gives you a behind the scenes look into the lives of the brave men and women fighting on the front lines against modern day slavery.

In this podcast, host Amy Roth brings you undercover with IJM’s corps of highly-trained investigators, whose courage and commitment have brought freedom, safety and hope to thousands of people victimized by violent oppression. You’ll go deep into ongoing covert operations in Cambodia, India and around the world, exploring the dangers IJM investigators face every day, and the life-changing results that make them so worthwhile.

Hosted by Amy Roth, IJM Director of Media Relations

Introduced by Sharon Cohn Wu, IJM Senior Vice President of Justice Operations

With IJM staff: Gary Haugen, President and CEO; Jeff Blom, Vice President of Investigations; IJM frontline investigators

Music by Sara Groves, IJM Artist Partner

For more information on becoming an IJM Freedom Partner, please click here.

We know many of you have eagerly anticipated the announcement of the Judges’ Choice winner for the At the End of Slavery Trailer Contest so we also acknowledge that it’s almost torturous to ask you to wait one more day before we announce the winner. Please be sure to check back tomorrow FRIDAY for the big announcement.

We have an amazing group of individuals in the film and media industry that will be helping us pick the winner. The following are excerpts of their full bios that can be found here:

Phil Cooke

Phil Cooke is a writer, speaker, filmmaker, & media consultant who’s work focuses on creating personal and organizational cultures where real change happens and creative ideas become reality. His expertise is change, and his canvas is the media. According to former CNN journalist Paula Zahn, Phil is rare – he’s a working producer in Hollywood with a Ph.D. in Theology. Christianity Today magazine calls him a “media guru” and his Change Revolution blog at philcooke.com is considered one of the most honest and insightful resources on the web on issues of faith, culture, and media.

Craig Detweiler

Dr. Craig Detweiler is director of the new Center for Entertainment, Media and Culture at Pepperdine University in Malibu. He’s a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Davidson College and earned an M.F.A. from the University of Southern California’s acclaimed film school. His documentary, Purple State of Mind, won Best Spiritual Film at the 2008 Breckenridge Festival of Film and the Audience Award at the 2009 Tallahassee Film Festival. His latest book, Into the Dark, searches for the sacred amidst the top-ranked films on the Internet Movie Database. Craig’s cultural commentary has appeared on ABC’s Nightline, CNN, Fox News, NPR, and in The New York Times.

Brent Gudgel

Brent is a film director in Los Angeles who has worked in over 20 countries for clients including Ford, Saddleback Church, English Language Institute/China, Azusa Pacific University, and Fuller Seminary. A partner in the production company Chronicle Project, Brent co-directed an award-winning documentary “Dear Francis” which has been used by universities and churches around the world in addition to airing on Showtime television. The film is about the most HIV-infected nation in the world, Swaziland. Brent also directed the documentary “Hood Ranch” and an ongoing documentary series for Union Rescue Mission on Skid Row in Los Angeles.

Gregg Helvey

Student Academy Award® Winner, Gregg Helvey, has traveled the world to film in countries such as El Salvador, China, Kenya and England on projects ranging from National Geographic and BBC1 documentaries to independent fictional films. As a filmmaker, Helvey seeks to combine his passion for social justice with powerful story telling.

Helvey wrote, directed and produced “Kavi,” the winning film of the 2009 Student Academy Award® gold medal in the narrative category. “Kavi” was filmed entirely on location in India and tells the story of a young boy who wants to play cricket and go to school, but instead he is forced to work in a brick kiln as a modern-day slave. Kavi must either accept what he’s always been told, or fight for a different life even if he’s unsure of the ultimate outcome. More information is available at www.KaviTheMovie.com.

Dave Mahanes

A partner in the production company Chronicle Project, David has overseen the production of documentaries, promotional videos, and short films over the last six years, including the feature documentary “Dear Francis.” He has produced and filmed projects in countries such as Swaziland, Rwanda, Kenya, Mexico, Turkey, Thailand, and Morocco. Previously David worked with I-40 Films where he oversaw the production of commercials that included award-winning spots for Ford and the Carolina Hurricanes.

After tallying nearly 200 submissions, we are excited to announce the At the End of Slavery Trailer Contest: Audience Choice Winner and 1st/2nd Runner Ups.

AUDIENCE CHOICE 1st & 2nd Runner-Up

Will receive complete At the End of Slavery Screening-In-A-Box resources, which includes: DVD of the film, “Give to a friend” DVD of the film, advocacy postcards. Winner will also receive a signed copy of “Good News About Injustice”: 10th Anniversary Edition, “Just Courage”, “Terrify No More” and an IJM Seek Justice t-shirt.

1st Runner-Up: “Peace, Slavery” by Jake Morgan

2nd Runner-Up: “At The End of Slavery” Trailer by Aneesh Chaganty

AUDIENCE CHOICE Winner

All items in Runner-Up Prize plus: Exclusive webcast with IJM staff to be broadcasted live during your “At the End of Slavery” house party for your attendees.

“STAND TOGETHER” by Melissa Mills and Lucas Harris

Congratulations to all the winners and thanks to all of you who participated in the contest and in the voting! If you’d like to see all the other great entries that were submitted, check them out on the At the End of Slavery Trailer Contest Vimeo Group.

*** UPDATE: 9/23, 9:25AM ET ***
The winners of the Audience Choice and Judges’ Choice categories will be announced here on Wednesday, 9/23, at 7pm ET. Thank you to all who participated and voted. Special thanks to our guest judges: Phil Cooke, Craig Detweiler, Brent Gudgel, Gregg Helvey, and Dave Mahanes.

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Thank you to everyone who submitted a trailer contest entry. We appreciate the passion and creativity you so evidently put into your work.

If you have not yet viewed the entries, please check them out and vote for your top three picks by Wednesday, September 23 at 12am ET. That’s less than 48 hours away, so please cast your vote and invite your family and friends to do the same!

Please continue to keep an eye out for further updates on the trailer contest, the film and the movement to end modern day slavery, right here at attheEndofSlavery.com.

A film alone cannot end slavery, but all of us together – we can.

Change happens when ordinary people do what they can to make a difference. And in a world where 27 million children, women and men live as slaves – change cannot wait. Thank you for visiting attheEndofSlavery.com to learn more about this film and movement – we hope you’ll join us in creating the change that will build a different future for those who live as slaves today.

At the End of Slavery is a new documentary produced by International Justice Mission that you can use to share the reality of modern-day slavery with your family, friends and community. You can learn more about the film here – Please take a moment to watch the trailer on the homepage and consider sharing it with a friend. We hope you’ll join this movement by hosting your own At the End of Slavery house party – learn how here!

Visit this site often – updates will be posted continually as the movement grows and lives and communities are changed. Thank you for being a part of this movement.

- International Justice Mission