IN THE WORKS: When Sarah Schaeffer Bernard and Barbara Madison -- both of Clayton -- went on a missionary trip to Nicarauga to help impoverished residents of that Central American country, they expected to coming back feeling good about their efforts.

What they didn't expect was to come back with material that they plan on turning into a documentary about a former hit man for the Sandinista regime.

On their trip last July, the women met Oscar Cuarezma, 47, who was a teen-age killer for the Sandinistas and now rescues women and children from sexual slavery and helps rehabilitate them.

Bernard, an actor and businesswoman, said today that after meeting Cuarezma, they felt compelled to tell his story in a documentary.

They came back from Nicarauga with about 25 minutes of videotape that they had shot with a poor-quality camera. They hadn't gone with the intention of making a film so didn't have much to work with, Bernard explained.

Still, what they had was enough to get some support and to persuade an award-winning director, Dan Parris of Speak Up Productions, to sign on to the project.

Bernard and Madison formed a company, Boulevard Productions, to produce the film, which they have entitled "Hit Man to Hero." They are also getting fiscal sponsorship from the Regional Arts Commission, which gives them status as a not-for-profit organization and helps make contributions to the film project tax deductible.

They met Cuarezma through Madison's work operating trauma workshops in Nicarauga. Madison is the president of Right at Home of St. Louis, a private duty home care agency.

Bernard says they are planning a March trip to Nicaragua to start the real process of documenting Cuarezma's story and that all post-production work will be done in St. Louis. They hope to have the film made within the year.

Click here for more details on the film or contact Bernard at sarah@hitmantohero.com or by phone at 314-753-3552.