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Wednesday, February 5, 2014
FILM
Thoroughly Modern Slavery:
A Discussion
Lupita Nyong'o as Patsey and Chiwetel Ejiofor as Solomon in "12 Years A Slave".
Fox Searchlight
by
Omar P.L. Moore/PopcornReel.com
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Wednesday,
February 5,
2014
"Of the 101 existing slave narratives only one is told from the perspective of
someone who started free and was captured, and that's Solomon's story,"
explained Plan B production company president and producer Dede Gardner, at a
special invite-only screening of
"12 Years A Slave" last night. The Castro
Theatre in San Francisco hosted The Polaris Project, a non-profit organization
dedicated to eradicating modern-day slavery.
"Modern-day slavery and human trafficking exist all around us. We in law
enforcement see it...It's happening in the United States. It's happening
in Northern California. It's happening all around us. It's
sex-trafficking of children. It's sex trafficking of adults," said U.S.
Attorney (Northern District Of California) Melinda Haag. "We're seeing
street gangs involved in that, and they're using women and children in
trafficking."
Bradley Myles, CEO of The Polaris Project, moderated the post-screening
discussion that immediately followed Steve McQueen's film. "It's hard to
talk after seeing this film," Ms. Haag said as she explained the pervasiveness
of trafficking. Prior to the screening slides were shown illustrating
slavery rings that exist today around the globe. "Generations of families
have been enslaved for a loan of just $18," read one.
"I think we all need to take a collective breath," advised Min Kang, a mental
health professional in the San Francisco Bay Area who called herself "a
(former) slave to her own parents." About slavery she said, "it's really
about loss of free will, loss of autonomy." Ms. Kang cited that
discussions and definitions of slavery are often viewed from a perpetrator's
perspective. "From a survivor's perspective, the experience of being a
slave is the same as in the 1800s."
Ms. Kang, citing an interview on a cable TV show, said that freedom to have "net
neutrality", for example, wasn't true freedom. She cast freedom and
slavery in greater context. "When you can't move, talk, live, eat, sleep,
love who you want to love, that's true slavery."
A packed house was on hand for the "12 Years A Slave" screening. Ms.
Gardner asked those in attendance to spread the word about the film, which she
produced along with Mr. McQueen, Brad Pitt, Jeremy Kleiner. "(Solomon
Northup's) book has sold 150,000 copies, which is pretty amazing . . . The film
has done so well in England. Through the roof in France. Through the
roof in Belgium."
Ms. Haag listed several criminals her office had brought to justice as a result
of sex trafficking, including a husband and wife team who ran a ring in South
San Francisco. The team was sentenced for nine years. In another
case a man was sentenced to a life term.
Min Kang summarized what may have been a sentiment in the audience upon seeing
"12 Years A Slave". "You're feeling a piece of what it feels like for a
slave . . . you should figure out a way of how to deal with that powerlessness."
For more on how to help abate human trafficking, in the U.S. call
1-888-373-7888 Visit PolarisProject.org for more information and
resources.
COPYRIGHT 2014. POPCORNREEL.COM. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
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