VIFF film shines light on sex trade and human trafficking

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VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – The director behind one of the most powerful entries at the Vancouver International Film Festival spent close to a decade tracking the lives of girls and women who were forced into the sex trade before they became teenagers.

Mimi Chakarova admits The Price of Sex is a heavy film, but says the young women’s voices are reaching the right people, and that’s a positive. Their stories are disturbing and at times difficult to listen to, but Chakarova says that’s why she made the film.

“You might say, ‘Where is the hope?’ and ‘Should we just throw our hands in the air and say there’s nothing we can do about this?’ I don’t think that’s the right approach,” she says. “I would not have made this film if I felt that change was not possible.”

The film takes Chakarova on a journey from the impoverished corners of Eastern Europe to the brothels of Dubai and Istanbul. Many of the girls were forced to sell their bodies as teenagers or be ruthlessly beaten by their pimps – but Chakarova insists her journey was an uplifting one.

“[The women are] incredibly hopeful in my opinion, because they’re giving an outlet for other people who have been living in shame and also are reluctant to come out and talk about what happened and also fight against it,” she says.

She says sex slavery is just as prominent in Vancouver as it is anywhere else and she’s hoping the film helps raise awareness here.

The final screening is on Wednesday.

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