While some people’s greed and corruption can lead innocent bystanders into harrowing circumstances, the victims’ faith in humanity can be restored through the selfless acts of others who are inspired in part by their faith. That’s certainly the case for actress Jessica Koloian’s protagonist of Anna and her family in the new human trafficking thriller, ‘Pursuit of Freedom.’

The story for the feature, which is based on real events, was created by Lonnie Norris. The project was written and directed by Emmy Award-winning filmmaker, George A. Johnson. Besides Koloian, the drama also stars Stelio Savante, Robia Scott, Sharonne Lanier, Robert Amaya, Elias Kemuel, Brayden Eaton and Tenley Kellog.

‘Pursuit of Freedom’ follows Anna, a Ukrainian woman who was separated from her three children – Hovan, Armen and Siran (Kemuel, Eaton and Kellog) – when she was sold into human trafficking by Russian gangsters. After years of struggle, she eventually defied all odds and returned to safety with the help and kindness of a Dutch nurse, Naomi (Lanier), an Armenian missionary, Bedros (Savante), and an American pastor, Bill (Amaya). Though multiple countries, thousands of miles and several years kept her separated from her family, Anna held onto her faith. With the help of the church and strangers, she survived to be reunited with her children.

The feature has thrived on the festival circuit, winning key awards at the Anatolia Film Festival, Big Apple Film Festival, Switzerland International Film Festival, Paris Film Awards, Golden Lion International Film Festival, Content Film Festival Media & Summit and the Canadian International Faith & Family Film Festival. The project has also been nominated for a Human Rights Award as Best Film with the Political Film Society of America.

‘Pursuit of Freedom’ is now streaming on Pure Flix, YouTube and Tubi in the U.S. The movie is also streaming on Sky Store in the UK.

Savante generously took the time earlier this month to talk about starring in ‘Pursuit of Freedom’ during an exclusive interview over Zoom. Among other things, the actor discussed that he was in part drawn to the thriller because he feels its exploration into the effects of human trafficking needs to be more prevalent in mainstream society. He also expressed his gratitude to be able to work with Johnson on the drama because as the scribe-helmer, he encouraged the cast to explore the emotions in each scene that felt right to them.

The conversation began with Savante explaining why he was interested in playing Bedros in ‘Pursuit of Freedom,’ and how he became attached to the project. “My wife, daughter and I were on our way to Yellowstone on a road trip, and I had promised not to take any business calls. We were taking driving shifts, and I was in the back, sleeping,” he shared.

“Then my phone rang, but I didn’t recognize the number. I don’t know why, because I never do this, but I just felt like I needed to pick it up. The voice on the other end said, ‘Hey, Stelio, I know I don’t represent you, but I have an offer for you, what’s your rate,?’” the actor recalled.

“I said, ‘I’m sorry, who is this again?’ The lady on the end said, ‘This is Jean. I know we have never met, but there’s a project that’s very interested in you,’” Savante added.

“So the matter in which it came felt very out of the box and unusual. Of course my wife and daughter weren’t happy because I had to spend that evening reading the script, and I read it twice,” the performer shared.

“What really touched me was the heart, soul and voice of this woman’s story. So I immediately requested a call with the writer-director, George (Johnson) because I needed to know if it was true and who the missionaries were who were involved in rescuing the family,” Savante also noted.

“I had previously worked on films that dealt with human trafficking. I really feel that it’s subject matter, as we’ve also seen with the (similarly themed) film ‘Sound of Freedom’ finally getting a wide audience (in the U.S. last month), that needs attention. I felt there wasn’t enough information out there, so audiences don’t know how huge the human trafficking industry is. Also, our government can be doing a lot more to protect the people, who are mostly women, who are trafficked,” the actor pointed out.

Once Savante signed on to portray Bedros, he easily delved into his preparation and research for the role. “Having played real-life characters before in stories that are based on true life, I already had a process of things I knew I needed to line up. I needed to get as much information about not only the story, but also specifically about the characters we were portraying,” he said.

“Lonnie (Norris) wrote the story, as it’s based on his real-life experiences. Then George adapted the screenplay from that,” the performer shared.

“So what we ended up doing was asking for a few real-life videos of the missionary my character is based on and his wife, who’s played by Robia Scott in the film, to tell us a little bit about their story. That gave us a center and a foundation that everything was centralized from,” Savante added.

Further speaking about collaborating with Johnson as the film’s writer-director, Savante revealed that “George is a fascinating artist to work with, as he’s very meticulous when it comes to detail. He understands the medium incredibly well, and that is a wonderful safety net for an actor to have. He’s a great captain on set. He also does a really solid job in his prep, in terms of empowering people to be the best they can be in those roles.

“Actor-to-director, it was great because he would often do takes clean, meaning as scripted. But then there also were several occasions with several actors where I felt like I wanted to mix it up a little, and improvise and go with whatever happened organically,” the actor recalled.

“George was tremendously supportive of that process. So a lot of those takes ended up being in the film, which was nice,” Savante gushed about the movie’s helmer.

“We’re actually looking to work together again. We’re currently in the process of developing a true-life story based on a minor league hockey team. It’s a very well-known story,” the performer also revealed.

“George is an actor’s director and an overall brilliant director. So I enjoyed collaborating with him very much,” Savante added.

Besides enjoying his collaboration with Johnson on ‘Pursuit of Freedom,’ Savante also cherished the time he spent working with his co-stars, especially the young performers who played Anna’s children. “It was wonderful. All of the child actors were very committed and dedicated to what they were doing. All three of them – Elias (Kemuel), Brayden (Eaton) and Tenley (Kellogg) brought themselves to their roles,” he fondly recalled.

“Working with Robia was also terrific. The chemistry for our relationship as husband and wife on screen was rich,” the actor also noted as he praised Scott’s work as an actress. “There were some scenes that were physically challenging because of the spaces that we were in. but George always gave us the luxury of having more takes.

“We got a lot of favors from the airport at Fort Wayne (in Indiana), which doesn’t look like most American airports. The filmmakers did meticulous research and did shoot some B-roll in Armenia. When you look at photos of the airport we were portraying, they knocked it out of the park,” Savante also shared.

“Everyone who was on this project was on it for the right reasons. They knew that there was a story that needed to be told here, and it needed time, patience and dedication, or it would fall flat on its face,” the performer shared.

“People have responded very well to the film. We’ve had a successful indie release. It’s doing well with Sky Store in the UK. It’s now also streaming on several different platforms here in the U.S.,” Savante noted.

“So I’m thrilled for all of the actors that we’re receiving all of this attention. Some of the actors aren’t as well know around the world, or haven’t been in many projects. So to get to see them receive such a positive response for this film, especially in theaters, is great,” the actor added.

Following up on the fact that the feature played in theaters and in film festivals around the world, Savante shared his appreciation that the project “played for about a week on eight-ten screens. Some of those screens were in Indiana and Michigan. The movie also played for several weeks here in Los Angeles,” he shared.

“It was an emotional and uplifting journey. We had members of the Armenian community join us. We also had some people who were involved in the film in the audience. We received standing ovations and Q&As,” the performer divulged.

“Our screenings were also well attended; the film’s per-screening average was very high,” Savante revealed.

“It’s always very fascinating to watch the film with an audience because it’s not an easy film to watch – it’s fairly brutal in certain scenes and it doesn’t apologize,” the actor pointed out.

With the thriller now also streaming digitally, Savante has also been receiving positive feedback from audiences online. “The movie is now streaming in the U.S. on Pure Flix, and the feedback that I’ve been hearing is positive. Viewers are saying that we need to hear more of these stories,” he shared.

“But most studios don’t often go out on a limb to tell stories in which there are missionaries, the Church or Christians. I think a large reason for that is because for the longest time, faith-based films weren’t necessarily well done, or were highly overbearing or overdramatic,” the performer stated.

“Diving into the film, I had that conversation with George. I needed to make sure that this film wasn’t another sermon with an alter call. As a Christian myself, I go to Church to hear the word of God, but I don’t go to the cinema to hear the word of God; I go to cinema to be entertained and watch art,” Savante revealed.

“Most of the viewers we’ve been hearing back from are ironically not people of faith,” the actor divulged. “We’re hearing back more from people who were inspired by the film. It’s been good to hear from those people who are engaging with us.”

Savante hopes that everyone who watches ‘Pursuit of Freedom,’ and not just those viewers who have already shared their thoughts on the project with the filmmakers, are taking away a meaningful message from its story. “What struck me from day one was how women’s voices in films like this one have been severely mis- or under-represented for the longest time,” he noted.

“Anoush, who’s the wife of my character in the film, wanted to show exactly how things were. So to be part of a project that gave a voice to her story, in a part of the world where women often don’t have a voice, is so special. I’m hoping that the film gives women, children and anyone who’s been a victim of any sort of trafficking ring the courage to stand up” and fight for their freedom, the performer added.

“On the flip side, I’m hoping that missionaries, especially of the Christian faith, like myself, don’t allow fear to overcome the way that God wants to use us. There are many countries that I’ve filmed in – I’ve filmed in four continents – that make me see that American Christians are lazy, and we have everything,” the actor said.

“Not only are people persecuted in other countries for their faith, but they don’t have water and electricity. So they rely on their faith to survive,” despite their fear of being persecuted for doing so, Savante also noted.

“This isn’t a woe-is-me, Christians are victims angle. But I hope that after watching this film, Christians will be inspired to go out and help each other, particularly in areas where they’re being underserved,” the performer concluded.