In a world where 90% of nonprofit organizations dedicated to violence prevention close their doors within 5 years, Precious Blood Ministry of Reconciliation (PBMR) celebrates 20 years strong and shares its journey of serving a community impacted by gun violence and incarceration to help others answer the call to serve their own community.

SPIRIT OF HEALING is a short documentary that chronicles PBMR's inspiring quest to create a community-led restorative justice hub on the south side of Chicago.

The film also acknowledges the many young people who tragically did not survive during these 20 years, and we learn first-hand from community members about the devastating effects of gun violence and what can be done to prevent it.

Gun violence and incarceration is a widespread epidemic in the US that many people struggle to understand. Over 4,000 people are shot in Chicago each year and over 9,000 are incarcerated in the County Jail system. The ripple effects of these incidents devastate the families and communities of these individuals. These feelings of grief and fear often perpetuate the cycle of violence and incarceration.

Local Legend Films, a documentary studio that practices restorative justice and employs young people who have survived gun violence, created the film. Unfortunately, due to the economic impact of the pandemic, Local Legend Films has not been able to employ apprentices full-time and has scaled back its own programming. In this way, the creation of this film about an organization that has been putting one foot in front of the other has served as an inspiration to the film company. 

Despite these scalebacks, Local Legend Films has maintained its relationships with its former apprentice employees and offered assistance in as many ways as possible. During their employment, apprentices have lost over a dozen friends to gun violence, one at the hands of police officers. Additionally, they have experienced homelessness, muggings, over three dozen wrongful arrests, police stops, and search and seizures. 

Even though it is not a spiritual organization, Local Legend Films acknowledges that there is an x-factor required to maintain the stamina and sustainability that all nonprofit or social mission enterprises need in order to keep their doors open. The film “Spirit of Healing” explores that x factor.

Jayme Joyce is an award-winning entrepreneur and Founder of social enterprise company Local Legend Films, a documentary film company committed to employing young people directly impacted by gun violence. 

Jayme has worked in various capacities on dozens of films, most notably as a camera operator for the Oscar-nominated documentary, Finding Vivian Maier. In addition, she was the second unit Assistant Director on the critically acclaimed documentary film, Girl Rising and a Producer on the authorized biopic, George Romero, An Independent Man, which premiered in Spain at the Sitges Film Festival in the fall of 2018. 

Currently, she is directing a restorative justice road trip film, Red Summer Project, and a producer of the film, Lead Never Follow, a documentary series about the Leaders streetwear brand.

Additionally, Jayme has juried the Chicago International Film Festival, worked for seven years at the Sundance Film Festival, and served on the board of the Chicago chapter of Women in Film for four years.