Hope in Heaven

Mila works at Heaven, a little bar on blowjob alley in Angeles city, the Philippines. Once the site of the United States Clark Air Force Base, the city is now one of the busiest and sleaziest sex tourist destination in Southeast Asia. Mila lives in tremendous hope that someday a customer will rescue her from Heaven and take her to America.In the Philippines, prostitution is not just lucrative business-it's an industry. Hope in Heaven, by filmmaker Meredith Ralston, examines the country's sex trade and the young women it traps. Seen through the eyes of two idealistic female students and a male university professor, the film depicts two years of Mila's life and the people who befriend her. The poverty and squalor she lives in and her hope that one day a foreigner will rescue her are both poignant and heartbreaking.Once the film was completed, Ralston knew she needed a powerful voice to convey the magnitude of the devastating conditions in Angeles City. Her first and only choice for the narration was actor Kiefer Sutherland. With strong Canadian roots and a stronger social conscience, Sutherland was readily on board.46 MinutesTo see the companion book, Reluctant Bedfellows, click here.