"Gardens of the Night" is a dramatic true life story of child abductions. Film opens November 7th.


Leslie (Gillian Jacobs), struggles with a hand to mouth existence on the streets of San Diego with only her childhood friend Donnie (Evan Ross) to look after her, both of them trying to cope with the trauma of having been abducted and held captive by two men nine years earlier. As an eight-year-old girl, Leslie (Ryan Simpkins) was abducted through trickery by an older man Alex (Tom Arnold), and his young accomplice Frank (Kevin Zegers). Leslie was held captive in their house along with an eight-year-old boy named Donnie, who believed his mentally unstable mother, sold him to Alex. The children create a bond with each other managing to escape into a fantasy world they create in their bedroom. Years later Leslie and Donnie, now seventeen years old, are living as street-kids and struggling to cope with what they suffered through, having been affected by the experience differently.

Director Damian Harris started his research for this film after studying the black and white photograph of a young girl on the back of a milk carton followed by a Newsweek article about a little boy who had been stolen from his family. He knew at that point he had to spread awareness of this horrific issue. From there he spent two years traveling around the United States , meeting with families of abducted children, Child Sex Crimes Units of various Police Departments as well as shelters where he spoke directly to councilors and those abused.