Official DVD Release set for JUNE 6 2009!

In the summer of 2005, Zach, a 16-year-old boy from Memphis, Tennessee wrote on his MySpace blog that he had told his parents he was gay. Within days of his coming out, his mother and father would send him to Love In Action (LIA), a fundamentalist Christian program that refers to homosexuality as an addictive behavior. The depressed and fearful teenager shared his feelings on his blog.

(From Zach’s MySpace Blog)

May 29, 2005
The World Coming To An Abrupt Stop
Current mood: depressed
"Today, my mother, father, and I had a very long ‘talk‘ in my room where they let me know I am to apply for a fundamentalist christian program for gays. They tell me that there is something psychologically wrong with me

Zach's parents had enlisted the support of LIA's newly formed program for teens, called Refuge,

with the hope that his gay “addiction” could be cured. His blog entries quickly spread from his friends to the local community as well as gaining national attention. In a remarkably short time, daily protests were organized outside the campus of LIA.

Zach Stark, 2005

“This Is What Love In Action Looks Like” documents the widely controversial and inspirational story of what The New York Times referred to as "A modern day message in a bottle."

In the documentary, former Love In Action director John Smid as well as former adult and teenage clients share their hearts on these experiences. In addition, local bloggers, community activists and classmates of Zach tell their stories of becoming involved with what would become a story that gained the attention of largest international news organizations.

Zach had not publicly spoken about these events since his first day in the program since those enrolled – willingly or not – were not allowed access to media or communication with friends(unless otherwise approved by staff). Concerned people around the world awaited news of how Zach was doing during his eight weeks in Refuge. By the time he emerged in late July that fateful summer, there was a barrage of headlines in the international press, including Good Morning America, CNN, The New York Times, Time Magazine and The Advocate among others.

The documentary chronicles the personal stories of those involved and their relationships with God, the world around them and themselves as this agonizingly divisive and polarizing issue unfolds. It also features an extremely surprising, and highly unlikely friendship that developed over this time period, which no one could have predicted would form.
It follows the events that led up to and sparked this story, the ongoing protests and the events that have continued since, including state investigations into LIA’s practices, a lawsuit filed by LIA against the State of Tennessee, as well as the story of the return of a former teen client of Refuge a year later to speak out against the program in a “one year anniversary protest.”

In the years since it began, with all the media coverage and investigations, Zach had declined to tell his story. Until now. The teenager whose MySpace blogs began it all gives an exclusive interview for the documentary.

Zach Stark, 2009

“This Is What Love In Action Looks Like,” directed by award winning filmmaker Morgan Jon Fox (“Blue Citrus Hearts,” “OMG/HaHaHa”) also features never-before-seen footage of the highly controversial protests, and in-depth interviews of the major figures on both sides of the issues.

The film will be released exclusively through LivefromMemphis.com on June 6, 2009 to commemorate the fourth anniversary of the events that began it all.
The official webpage, with the official trailer and additional information will launch May 1, 2009. Pre-orders will also be available on this date.

For press inquiries, requests for screeners, booking engagements and other information, please EMAIL OUR MEDIA DEPARTMENT.

The true story of a modern day message in a bottle

In the summer of 2005 a 16yo boy in Memphis, TN wrote on his MySpace blog about his parents sending him to a "Fundamentalist Christian" program that claimed to offer "Freedom from homosexuality".
What followed is a modern day message in a bottle, as teens in the local community stood up for their friend with daily protests which eventually grew to include a huge plethora of individuals demonstrating at the facility, called Love In Action in what would become an international news story.

The documentary features several former clients of the organization who tell their personal stories about the time they spent within the programs walls, including exclusive never before seen interviews with several teenagers who were forced into the "Refuge" program.

The documentary will preview to Memphis audiences in February of 2008.

NOTE: The documentaries producers intent was to show the passion and conviction of both sides of such a strong debate, however, countless attempts to interview Love In Action officials, and their wider network of affiliates were continuously denied, unfortunately thwarting our wishes to allow them to tell their personal stories in detail :-(

We need your help!

We are now accepting donations to assist in the completion of this film.

Anything you can offer will be a great assistance!