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The documentary explores the topic from several perspectives; the police, caseworkers and families as well as the girls themselves, and many of the characters in the film are shockingly open with Matsui’s camera.
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The Long Night was completed as a feature more than a year ago, but Matsui continues to devote his energies to getting the project seen and raising awareness of the twin problems of teenage runaways and sex trafficking. The film has already won several accolades including First Place Long Form Documentary Feature in the 2015 World Press Photo competition as well as POYi Documentary Project of the Year.
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We’ve been speaking to Tim about The Long Night and you can learn more about the project in our in-depth Q&A which starts on the next page. Our questions are in yellow.
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Father and daughter, 17 year old ‘Natalie,’ who had been trafficked for sex in the Seattle area at the age of 15, sit outside the family’s new home in the Southwest.
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You mentioned in a previous article for DPReview that you don’t recommend photographers or videographers seek funding for a project as intense as The Long Night unless they have energy to see it through. What are a few of the obstacles that they should expect to face?
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I guess it sounds kind of elitist to say [that]. It’s not my intention. What I am is exhausted; physically, emotionally, and financially. Yet I was entrusted to tell these stories, and I like to see things through, to finish projects. The people who shared their stories did so, hoping for change, which is why I’m continuing with Leaving the Life (leaving-the-life.com), the social justice movement I’m building through partnership and collaboration.
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Followed by SeaTac police detectives while she was walking Pacific Highway South until she was picked up, 19 year-old Lisa waits, handcuffed in the cold winter night, while her ‘date’ is interviewed.
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(cont.) The funding isn’t out there, so you’re going to have to find whatever way you can to support yourself during the project. You might lose the story, so you’ve got to know when to let it go. Or it might turn and you need to follow. Getting access requires persistence without being rude, transparency and no agenda, relationships (people who will vouch for you), knowledge of the issue (or you’re wasting people’s time), professionalism, and more than a little bit of luck.
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You’re going to miss that dinner party, won’t be able to watch the game, your partner will see less of you, you’ll be working from early until late, at odd hours; you’re basically going to live someone else’s life while struggling to maintain your own.
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In a way, it’s a lifestyle choice. Be ready for it.
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King County Sheriff’s deputy Andy Conner prepares to take a young woman engaged in commercial sex to the regional jail.
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What kept you going through tough times working on the film, and what has the aftermath of such a dark period in your life been not only for your career but also for you emotionally?
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The things that kept me going are my community and my family. As we grew older, I became closer with my grandmother. Her support was important, since she had a rough go of it working for Planned Parenthood before the advent of the pill. As my parents and siblings started to understand this project, they too provided a base of support.
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Lisa in jail after violating her Stay Out of Area of Prostitution order.
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(con’t) Similarly with my friends. Until they saw the film, I don’t think they really knew what I was doing all those nights I couldn’t hang out with them, but they were there when I needed to take a break. To go to the mountains, to climb, to have dinners, to make goofy faces with their kids or read bedtime stories. Exercise and the outdoors have been key coping mechanisms too. Though climbing has fallen second to my work, I still identify with the climbing lifestyle and try to be outside as much as possible.
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Lisa prepares to inject a mix of heroin ‘black’ and crystal meth.
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(cont.) I started the project at the same time my ex-wife was turning my life into a country western song. In the end, I consider myself lucky, but the way she handled it was rough and it’s tough because I haven’t been able to see my stepson much. The clarity of that is I realize the relationship I committed to was with him.
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Not having a family any longer gave me a lot more time, but working through this while working on the project put me in a pretty raw state. And it probably made me vulnerable in a way that better connected me with the subjects in the film.
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Lisa, wearing her first robe ever, eats at the Genesis Project drop-in center the same night that detectives had followed her and arrested her date for solicitation of prostitution.
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(cont.) I was also seeing someone during part of the filming. Although it didn’t work out in the end, having someone to relax into was important, and I value our time together. But going back to your question about obstacles, reaching your emotional capacity is something to be aware of. Doing this work, going through a divorce, and trying to be in a relationship? Be warned: photojournalists can be a tough lot.
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During a sting operation at a motel in SeaTac, Washington, notorious for drugs and prostitution, Deputy Andy Conner questions a woman arrested for selling sex.
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What happened to the girls that you profile in the film?
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As for the two young girls (women, now). Natalie is managing a retail store, raising a toddler, in a stable relationship and building her life. Lisa continues to struggle with the life. After the reporting finished I stayed in touch and have tried to connect her with the services here in King County, but she’s not sure she’s ready. I appreciate her honesty and hope she’ll be able to make the change.
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In SeaTac, Washington, a man is arrested for possession of 41 grams of crack cocaine and a firearm.
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To what do you thank your success in getting The Long Night funded as well as distributed? What are a few of the venues that were successful for you in getting audiences to view the movie?
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The Long Night wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for partnership. It starts with my relationships here in the Seattle area that allowed me access. The Alexia Foundation was instrumental in that it provided the seed capital with its Women’s Initiative Grant. They also paid for MediaStorm to do a short multimedia piece. When the editor, Tim McLaughlin, thought he had something bigger, Brian Storm (*executive producer at multimedia production studio MediaStorm) and I stepped up to support the film. I continued in the field and Brian tasked his resources to follow through on production.
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As for distribution, this is where things get a little wonky. Neither Brian nor myself had done feature documentary film distribution. It was a steep learning curve, and I don’t really agree with the model. There are too many gate keepers.
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While Brian went after traditional channels like film festivals and broadcast licensing, I researched grassroots independent distribution. Unfortunately, all the mainstream channels turned us down. We were still able to launch online on the Alexia Foundation site, MediaStorm, and on thelongnightmovie.com, a website I built for the film.
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Lisa’s 42 year-old ex-boyfriend ‘J’ expresses how much he loves her outside a motel room.
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(cont.) In October of 2014, I made some rounds in NYC, securing press coverage for a December 1 launch. NYTimes Lens Blog, MSNBC Photo, PDN Pulse and others. I built Facebook pages for the movie and for the movement Leaving the Life. With a couple of volunteers, I took to the socials as we launched, eventually gaining 97,000 reach off of one Facebook Post, 90 percent of it organic, with 750+ shares.
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The National Center of Missing and Exploited Children picked it up, gaining another 500+ shares with a couple of posts. And I got in touch with @socialgoodmoms, a network of mom bloggers who generally post about holiday cookie recipes. They picked it up, writing about the film and eventually reaching over one million through Twitter.
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Nacole, mother of 17 year old ‘Natalie,’ a survivor of domestic minor sex trafficking, now lives in the Southwest where they relocated after the ordeal.
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(cont.) Here’s something else to understand: the film comes in two versions. MediaStorm has a ‘web’ version where the stories are separated into chapters it hosts in their proprietary media player. I was able to negotiate the 70 minute theatrical cut for a Vimeo embed for the film’s website. When we launched on December one, in seven days I was able to get 8000+ plays. It’s not huge, but for no marketing budget and me plus a couple of volunteers, I think it’s pretty good.
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Denise Sams, a staff member at The Genesis Project, a nonprofit drop-in center, speaks with Lisa on one of the nights she chose to stay to try to detox.
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(cont.) I don’t know what MediaStorm’s play rate was, but the awards we won are because Brian is quite strategic and entered the ‘web’ version into all the contests. That package fits the contests much better than the theatrical cut and leaves us with the net result of more people viewing the stories.
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There’s more to come, but this is what building a movement is about: taking the story to the audience where they are, in any and every way.
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On her way to work, 17 year old ‘Natalie,’ a survivor of domestic minor sex trafficking, hugs her father Tom
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Do you feel that other photojournalists and filmmakers hold the same responsibilities to provide not only a good story, but also the means by which to affect change?
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I think photojournalists have the capacity to affect change without compromising their role as journalists. After all, is mainstream media truly objective these days?
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In the end, as the distribution model changes, I think journalists really only have their ethics and reputation. Look at Marcus Bleasdale‘s recent contribution to the Human Rights Watch feature on the Central African Republic and the work he’s done to affect change around conflict minerals.
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Or maybe I’ll simply quote his interview from Lens Blog: ‘We can certainly question the source of financing for many news outlets,’ Bleasdale says. ‘So in the end, are we all working for General Motors because they’re the ones placing the ad next to my article in the magazine? And maybe the editorial team or the advertising team is trying to influence that.’
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17 year old ‘Natalie,’ a survivor of domestic minor sex trafficking, was sold for sex by a pimp for over three months through the website Backpage.com.
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With all the attention the awards have brought, what comes next for you for this project?
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(cont.) What’s next for the project is turning the Movie into a Movement. This project didn’t start as a film; I see the story as a public health failing and want to use story to create a social justice movement. Natalie, the survivor, said she was doing this ‘if it helps one girl.’ And for Lisa, who’s still in the life, I want there to be fewer factors pushing youth like her into it, and a greater safety net for when they want to get out. This is about systems change and shifting cultural and institutional norms.
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Detective Brian Taylor questions a buyer of commercial sex, a ‘john,’ who had picked up a young woman from Pacific Highway South, a notorious track for prostitution.
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(cont.) If I can get the funding I’ll have another year of project management before I can hand this off as a program for a partner organization, then I can get back to the storytelling that is my proficiency. There is still a story about the ‘demand’ side of the equation I want to tell.
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Tom, father of 17 year old ‘Natalie,’ a survivor of domestic minor sex trafficking.
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Can you explain what the Leaving the Life campaign does? How can people and multimedia artists in particular contribute, and do you recommend any other resources or organizations?
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Leaving the Life is impacting social change and engaging communities by using story for broad audience outreach and an accompanying engagement program for experts and policy makers.
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I’ve partnered with the Blue Earth Alliance as a 501c3 fiscal sponsor, and the Center for Children and Youth Justice (CCYJ), a Seattle-based non profit tasked with coordinating Washington State’s regional CSEC task forces. CSEC stands for Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children.
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19 year-old Lisa looks for a drink in the fridge in a friend’s motel room in Tukwila, Washington. On the mirror it says, ‘Solo yo, nada mas’ or ‘Only me, nothing more.’
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(cont.) CCYJ also authored a Model Protocol with a data component that will help the state understand the scope of the issue and details collaborative methods for handling CSEC.
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We’re in the process of deploying the Leaving the Life Engagement Program which uses my documentary media paired with a mobile app created by A Fourth Act to capture an audience’s emotional reaction. We then present it back to them and use facilitated discussion of the differences to co-create solutions. Our goal is to break down silos, creating a unified response, a continuum of care for survivors, and appropriate prevention measures.
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A 19-year-old woman is questioned by detectives from the King County Sheriff’s Office during a sting operation intended to identify minors involved in commercial sex and their pimps.
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(cont.) We’re also working on a social campaign. One of those components uses our Instagram (@leavingthelife). We’re starting to feature contributors, some who are photojournalists, to tell stories with an image and extended captions. We’re also looking to crowdsource images and stories via the hashtag #leavingthelife.
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Tell a story – your story – and share it with a picture that’s historical, interpretive, journalistic and hashtag it with #leavingthelife. The kinds of stories we’re looking for are personal, about root causes that create vulnerability, or that are about hope and overcoming struggle. This is loosely modeled after the @everydayeverywhere campaign (co-founder Peter DiCampo lives in Seattle and generously let me copy their work).
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A married man with a baby seat in his minivan is handcuffed after picking up a young woman from Pacific Highway South in SeaTac near Seattle’s international airport.
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(cont.) There are a lot of organizations out there, some national and some local. I haven’t compiled a comprehensive list, but I would recommend as people google them, to look at how the organization operates. Do they take an academic approach? Do they speak in ultimatums? Do they come from a place of fear, or are their solutions accounting for the extremely gray nature of this issue and are they more about inclusivity?
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Remember, minor sex trafficking is a symptom of greater underlying issues, of which we are a part. It’s complex, but there’s a way for everyone to help and to do so from within their sphere of influence, however small. It just takes an empathetic, creative and open mind.
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Tim Matsui is a multimedia artist who has been working in the field of photojournalism and video for more than a decade. You can find out more about The Long Night at TheLongNightMovie.com and it is available to watch at Mediastorm.
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You can explore more of Matsui’s photojournalism at his website, www.TimMatsui.com, and follow him on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Get involved with the Leaving The Life campaign at Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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The Long Journey of ‘The Long Night’
17 year old ‘Natalie,’ a survivor of domestic minor sex trafficking, now lives in the Southwest with her parents, Nacole and Tom, where they relocated after surviving the ordeal.
In Tim Matsui’s film, ‘The Long Night,’ a police officer estimates that there are between 100,000 to 300,000 underage sex workers active in the United States alone. Armed for the most part with only a DSLR and a homemade audio setup, Matsui has dedicated years to following two young women. During the course of the film, ‘Natalie,’ a girl who found herself coerced into a life of prostitution at only 15 years old, recovers from her situation with the help of her family, while another woman – Lisa – continues to languish as an addict on the streets of Seattle.
The documentary explores the topic from several perspectives; the police, caseworkers and families as well as the girls themselves, and many of the characters in the film are shockingly open with Matsui’s camera.
The Long Night was completed as a feature more than a year ago, but Matsui continues to devote his energies to getting the project seen and raising awareness of the twin problems of teenage runaways and sex trafficking. The film has already won several accolades including First Place Long Form Documentary Feature in the 2015 World Press Photo competition as well as POYi Documentary Project of the Year.
We’ve been speaking to Tim about The Long Night and you can learn more about the project in our in-depth Q&A which starts on the next page. Our questions are in yellow.
Started out doing photography at the age of 6 using an uncle's old 1940 kodak brownie box camera. At 15 years of age, I decided to buy my very own 1975 Praktica SLR camera. I now shoot with a Nikon D850. I do unpaid TFP and commercial paid work.
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