“Where Is Gina?”
Documentary film hopes to shed light on missing children
by Chuck Hoven

(Plain Press, October 2009) Over five years have passed since the disappearance of then 14-year-old Georgina (Gina) DeJesus on her way home from Wilbur Wright School on April 2, 2004. Gina DeJesus was last seen at the corner of W. 105th and Lorain where she parted with a friend, also on her way home from school.

Now, a local group of filmmakers, Isaac Visual Media (IVM) Group is working with the cooperation of Gina DeJesus’ parents Felix DeJesus and Nancy Ruiz to produce a documentary film Where is Gina? A look at missing Children to explore issues surrounding the disappearance of Gina DeJesus and the plight of other missing children.

The IVM Group says the documentary features interviews with family members and friends of Gina DeJesus; interviews of the local FBI office; footage from Channel 8 news and actors playing principal characters. The filmmakers plan to have a public debut of the film in late October. They are in contact with Cleveland Cinemas, the operators of the newly reopened Capitol Theater at W. 65th and Detroit in hopes of having the film debut in the heart of the West Side of Cleveland where Gina and her family and friends reside, and the community is highly aware of the tragedy surrounding her disappearance.

Ruben Reyes, the CEO of the IVM Group and director of the documentary, says the idea for making the documentary came while he was recording a video for a church group event held to remember missing people. Reyes met the family of Gina DeJesus at the event and was moved by their story. He approached Gina’s mother, Nancy Ruiz, and told her he wanted to do a documentary about the disappearance of her daughter. Reyes says three or four months later Ruiz contacted him and said she was ready to go forward with the documentary.

Reyes says in the course of bringing together a team to produce the documentary, he met a number of like minded individuals who wanted to use their talents to do good. The IVM Group was formed. A talented staff emerged which includes Adrick Charmon Barnes, President; Phillip Deal, Executive Vice President; Timothy White, General Manager; and Michael Hudson, Cinematographer.

Timothy White, the General Manager of the IVM Group, says he finds it hard to believe that Gina DeJesus disappeared in broad daylight and nobody saw or heard anything. He hopes the film will inspire someone to come forward with some information. He believes that current law enforcement policy of not beginning investigation into a missing child until 72 hours after the disappearance is too long to wait. He hopes the film can help persuade the public and policy makers to wakeup to the reality that something needs to be done in the first 24 hours to find missing children. He noted the effectiveness of the Amber alerts issued immediately when an actual kidnapping is witnessed. He urged the same promptness and action when a child is reported missing. Speaking of his hope to use the film to change public policy, White says, “We want to make a difference.”

In addition to their hope of holding the premiere the film at the Capitol Theatre, the IVM Group plans to air “Where is Gina” on PBS, Public Access Channel and at the next Cleveland Film Festival, and to distribute it on DVD. The group is looking for sponsors to aid in the cost of production. In promotional materials for the film, the IVM Group speaks of the premiere event saying, “This premiere will be the springboard for an ongoing campaign to establish a formal organization in Cleveland dedicated to helping families with missing children, an effort spearheaded by Felix DeJesus, the father of Gina.”

Editor’s note: The IVM Group can be reached by email at ivmgroupllc@yahoo.com or by phone at 216-324-2828.

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