Books and Movies

Born Into Brothels: Calcutta’s Red Light Kids. Zana Briski, Ross Kauffman. THINKFilm, 2004. Documentary.

Moving documentary about filmmaker Zana Briski’s efforts to teach photography to the children living in Calcutta’s rough Red Light district. 

Hot Girls Wanted. Jill Bauer, Ronna Gradus. Netflix, 2015. Documentary.

Hot Girls Wanted is a 2015 American documentary on young-adult pornography directed by Jill Bauer and Ronna Gradus. The film follows the lives of several 18- and 19-year old pornographic actresses.
  

In Plain Sight. Awaken Media. Word Films, 2014. Documentary.

You may have heard the term “sex trafficking” and thought that it was just an international issue. While the term trafficking may conjure images of desperate illegal immigrants being forced into prostitution by human smugglers, over 80 percent of victims in 2011 confirmed sex trafficking cases in this country were American citizens. Or, maybe, you heard about the recent case in Ohio where three girls were kidnapped and kept as sex slaves…and you thought it was just one guy with a serious problem. Think again. It’s happening in plain sight, and you probably don’t even realize it.

Love and Sex in an Age of Pornography. Maree Crabbe. Rendered Visible, 2013. Documentary.

Pornography has moved from the brown paper bag to smartphones, computer screens and popular culture. In the adolescent world of attraction, desire, exploration and love, internet porn is normalised, shared and imitated. In Love and Sex in an Age of Pornography, we follow a group of young people who, with unflinching honesty and realism, reflect on the influence of porn on their lives. Has it changed their sexual tastes and behaviours? What are the differences between boys and girls in their approach to porn? What is the effect of the porn industry’s move into ever more hardcore scenes? 

Not for Sale. Robert Marcarelli. Gateway Films/Vision Video, 2007. Documentary.

Based on the book Not For Sale by David Batstone, covers what modern-day abolitionists are doing to fight the rampant terrors of human trafficking in the US and abroad. Traveling over 120,000 miles across five continents, Producer and Director Robert Marcarelli and his film crew gathered undercover footage on this billion-dollar industry and interviewed the heroes that are determined to see it end. Not only does the film expose harsh realities, but it also breathes new hope into the issue by documenting the valiant work of contemporary emancipators and the practical steps they’ve taken to mount an anti-slavery movement. Stories told by the people who’ve lived them, these compelling accounts aim to inspire individuals to practical action. It’s time the world knew the realities of slavery. It’s time to spread the word that a new era for Abolitionists is at hand.
 

Red Light/Green Light. Jared Brock. A Heart for Justice, 2014. Documentary.

As nations around the globe attempt to fight sex trafficking, many consider legalizing prostitution. Two filmmakers travel across ten countries to explore the issue, attempting to answer the question: “How can we prevent sexual exploitation before it happens in the first place?” Though governments are getting better at prosecuting traffickers and providing aftercare to victims, it is time we begin to ask the question of what lies at the root.

Selling the Girl Next Door. Amber Lyon. CNN, 2011. Documentary

Selling the Girl Next Door takes viewers into the world of underage American girls caught up in the violent sex trade. Hundreds of thousands of girls under the age of 18 are ensnared into lives of prostitution annually, according to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. Many are runaways or “throwaways” trapped in “the oldest profession” by pimps who sell them using modern sales and marketing techniques, including the online classified website Backpage.com.
  

Nefarious: Merchant of Souls. Benjamin Nolot. Exodus Cry, 2011. Documentary.

“Modern slavery.” It sounds like a paradox. Hasn’t humanity progressed? Didn’t we leave slavery dead on the battlefields of the American Civil War? Didn’t social reformers like Lincoln and Wilberforce legislate against such cruelty over a hundred years ago? So we had thought. But, with over 27 million enslaved people in the world, human trafficking is once again the battlefront of the century. 
 

Sex Slaves (The Real Sex Traffic). Ric Esther Bienstock. Associated Producers Ltd, 2005. Documentary.

Sex Slaves is a gripping documentary exposé inside the global sex trade in women from the former Soviet Bloc. The film takes viewers into the shadowy, multi-billion dollar world of sex trafficking. The film focuses on the remarkable story of Viorel, a Ukrainian man on a mission to find his pregnant, trafficked wife in Turkey. Hidden cameras follow Viorel as he tries to find the pimp who “owns” Katia, his wife. After days of desperate efforts, Viorel poses as a trafficker and sets out to buy her back. We follow Viorel to his meeting with Katia’s captor and from there into the world of trafficked women.  

The Porn Factor. Maree Crabbe. Rendered Visible, 2013. Documentary.

Through candid interviews with young people, experts and porn industry professionals, The Porn Factor explores how pornography is shaping young people’s sexual expectations and experiences. Essential viewing for parents, teachers, youth workers and others involved in young people’s education, support or care. 

The Price of Pleasure: Pornography, Sexuality & Relationships. Miguel Picker, Chyng Sun. Media Education Foundation, 2008. Documentary.

Examines the unprecedented role that commercial pornography occupies in American popular culture. The film explores what happens when images of sexual degradation are used for arousal. Once relegated to the margins of society, pornography has become one of the most visible and profitable sectors of the cultural industries in the United States. It is estimated that the pornography industry’s annual revenue has reached $13 billion. At the same time, the content of pornography has become more aggressive, more overtly sexist and racist.

Very Young Girls. David Schisgall. Netflix, 2007. Documentary.

Very Young Girls is an expose of human trafficking that follows thirteen and fourteen year old American girls as they are seduced, abused, and sold on New York’s streets by pimps, and treated as adult criminals by police. The film follows the barely-adolescent girls in real time, using vérité and intimate interviews with them as they are first lured on to the streets and the dire events which follow. The film also uses startling footage shot by the brazen pimps themselves giving a rare glimpse into how the cycle of street life begins for many women

Trafficked – The Reckoning. Luigi Acquisto. FairTrade Films, 2011. Documentary

Trafficked – The Reckoning is the inspiring story of a former police officer’s quest to find the man who enslaved a thirteen-year-old Thai girl in a Sydney brothel.  Ning was thirteen when she was trafficked to Australia from Thailand and sold to a Sydney brothel.  In 2007 she became the first slave in history to win victim of crime compensation. Jetsadophorn Chaladone, AKA Ning, was awarded $50,000 by the Attorney General’s Department of NSW for the multiple child rapes committed against her in 1995. This ground breaking decision set an important precedent for the millions of sex slaves globally.  News of the ruling was reported around the world and featured in popular women’s magazines like Marie Claire, Madison and New Idea.