10 Human Trafficking Films to Watch

Published January 06, 2009 @ 08:28AM PT

These are 10 of my favorite human trafficking films, a mix of both documentaries and fictional stories based on truth. National Human Trafficking Awareness Day is January 11, and these are all excellent suggestions for film viewing parties to raise awareness or funds. Each one has a short preview to give you an idea of what its about.

One thing to note about this list: A number of the major television networks have had news specials on human trafficking, some of which are very good, and most of which can be difficult to get. If the news special is recent, you can sometimes find it on the network's website. This list contains films which, even if not commercially available, can usually be ordered or purchased with a fair amount of ease. Some are recently released and may be harder to get a home copy of. However, most of the production companies are really helpful and willing to work with activists who want to use the film for public awareness purposes.

Born Into Brothels

An Academy Award winner for Best Feature Documentary, Born into Brothels tells the amazing story of several children in the red light district of Calcutta. It is a stirring look into prostitution, sex trafficking and the effect growing up in a Red Light District can have on a child.

Slumdog Millionaire

While it's more about love, India, corruption and love again, child trafficking features prominently in Slumdog Millionaire. The plight of street children trafficked for begging in India fits as seamlessly into the film as the children themselves do into the landscape of Mumbai. It's not an activist film, but it has a true activist heart.

NOT for Sale: The Documentary

This film is based on the book of the same name and covers the modern-day abolitionist movement. The film both exposes the terrors of human trafficking and inspires hope through the stories and work of contemporary activists.

DEMAND.

I may be ever-so-slightly partial to this documentary because I helped create it, but DEMAND. is an excellent film which centers around investigative footage of sex traffickers, pimps and johns. It tells the story of the "marketplace of exploitation" in four countries. Plus, it's relatively short and you can watch it online.

Holly

Holly is a fictional film about an American man (Ron Livingston of Office Space fame) living in Cambodia, and his attempts to save a young Vietnamese girl from sex trafficking. It is stirring in both emotion and accuracy. This is one to see with a friend so you can unpack it together.

Memoirs of a Geisha

This film contains several story lines and themes of women being sold as property in marriages and businesses, as well as forced prostitution and child labor and sex trafficking. It is an interesting study in how a cultural lens can shape what is considered exploitation by both the exploiters and the victims.

Very Young Girls

Very Young Girls will make you very uncomfortable, as it focuses on American children in prostitution in America. Through the eyes of several women who have since escaped, we see the nuanced and brilliantly evil ways pimps and child sex traffickers lure and entice children into their "stables", and the tactics they use to keep them there.

Call + Response

This film brings together a star-studded musical cast to examine the issue of modern-day slavery and how we should and are responding when called to. The film is powerful, and the music is on the amazing side of awesome.

The Day My God Died

Narrated by Academy Award-winning actor Tim Robbins, The Day My God Died shows the humanity behind the statistics of sex trafficking. The film focuses on the stories of several Nepalese girls who were trafficked into prostitution as children.

Trade

Another fictional-story-based-on-real-scenarios, Trade tells the story of a 13-year-old Mexican girl kidnapped to be sold on an internet auction. Her brother and his policeman friend (played by Kevin Klein) are desperately trying to get to her before she is sold to the highest bidder. It's a well-made film, even if it does occasionally lean towards the sensational.

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Comments (8)

"Slumdog Millionaire" rocks! You're absolutely right, Amanda, it's not an activist film but it has an activist heart. I think some people may find it easier to be exposed to these issues through a movie like SM than through a doc.By the way, I cant get any sound on the Demand clip. I went to Youtube and it had a sound problem there too. Others worked fine so I dont think its me.

Posted by Slim Chance on 01/06/2009 @ 12:00PM PT
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Thanks Amanda,

Hope you dont mind but i would also add;
- lylia 4-ever
- Field of Mudan
- Eastern Promises

greg
www.onevoicetoendslavery.com

Posted by Greg Russinger on 01/09/2009 @ 08:24AM PT
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I would like to add a few as well:

-Borderland
-Human Trafficking (more commercial but valuable)
-The Virgin of Jaurez
-Body Without Soul

Greg - Lilya 4 Ever is a good one, very disturbing

Posted by Teresa DeRubeis-Sc... on 01/11/2009 @ 09:23AM PT
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thanks Teresa, i have not heard of the Body without Soul, i will have to take it in.. thanks

Posted by greg Russinger on 01/20/2009 @ 09:12PM PT
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trade is a great movie! also theres a movie called human trafficking which is also very good! =]

Posted by Angie Binner on 10/10/2009 @ 10:01PM PT
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Please consideer adding our feature film, A Dance For Bethany on your site. We will gladly give 50% of all sales to your organization. We persoanlly advocate and have a heart for every cause on your site, but our film deals with domestic trafficking and has won three awards.

Please visit: http://www.adanceforbethany.com

Sincerely,

Marion Williams
Phone 1-615-815-7064
marion@rtbp.net
A Dance For Bethany
http://adanceforbethany.com

Posted by Marion Williams on 11/11/2009 @ 06:33PM PT
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Thanks Amanda,

Also, you should see the following films:

- 8mm

- Taken

- Sex traffic

- Shuttle

Best regards

mitar

Posted by Mitar Djuraskovic on 11/14/2009 @ 03:56PM PT
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A great Australian film about the sex trafficking industry is The Jammed http://www.thejammed.com/

Posted by Carlota Arias on 11/18/2009 @ 05:31PM PT
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Author

Amanda has been a full-time abolitionist for six years. During that time, she has created reports, documentaries and training materials on human trafficking in the United States and around the world.