UNITED NATIONS HOSTS WORLD PREMIERE OF ASHLEY JUDD DRAMAINSPIRED BY TRUE EVENTS, “TRAFFICKED”
Following its United Nations premiere, TRAFFICKED will be in theaters October 6
Epic Pictures’ searing human trafficking drama inspired by true events, TRAFFICKED, will have a prestigious red-carpet premiere and gala reception at the United Nations, hosted by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), on October 5, followed by a limited theatrical release on October 6.
Simone Monasebian, the Director of the UNODC NY Office notes, “Human Trafficking is a multi-billion dollar business, its profits second only to drugs and arms, most of its victims women and girls, many of whom are forced into prostitution or otherwise exploited sexually. Art is a powerful advocacy tool to raise awareness and we have always used it to complement our work. We hope this dramatic and true-to-life film will move people to take action against the scourge of sex trafficking.”
Starring Golden Globe nominee Ashley Judd, Academy Award nominee Anne Archer, Elisabeth Röhm, Kelly Washington, Sean Patrick Flanery, Madison Wolfe, and Patrick Duffy, TRAFFICKED explores the complex global crisis of human trafficking and is ultimately a story of the strength of the human spirit, the empowerment of women, and the indestructible will to be free.
Inspired by the harrowing stories of real women and girls profiled in the award-winning book Sex Trafficking: Inside the Business of Modern Slavery by Harvard Professor, Siddharth Kara, TRAFFICKED follows three young women from the United States, Nigeria, and India who are exploited as sex slaves yet ultimately reclaim their dignity and freedom.
TRAFFICKED is a crucial component of Kara’s anti-slavery work and is intended to be both a compelling film as well as a catalyst for more robust initiatives to tackle human trafficking and put an end to slavery and child labor. Kara has been researching, writing, teaching, and advocating against modern slavery for nearly two decades.
TRAFFICKED is a KK Ranch Production written by Siddharth Kara, inspired by his book Sex Trafficking and directed by Will Wallace. Producers are Conroy Kanter, Siddharth Kara, and Vicente Aldape. Executive Producers are Frank Mayor, Joe Dante, Elizabeth Stanley, and Adam Ambruso.
About Epic Pictures:
Established in 2007 by Patrick Ewald and Shaked Berenson, Epic Pictures Group has grown to become one of the most creative and dynamic independent studios, focusing on filmmakers’ vision driven projects, shaping them from script to launch via its domestic distribution division Epic Pictures Releasing. Throughout the past 10 years, Epic produced many genre cult hits including the 2015 Sundance premieres “ENTERTAINMENT” and “TURBO KID” and all-star horror anthology “TALES OF HALLOWEEN”. More recently Epic produced the psychological horror “THE LODGERS,” sci-fi thriller “RADIUS,” action horror “REDCON-1,” and the adventure thriller “THE MAN WHO KILLED HITLER AND THEN THE BIGFOOT” starring Sam Elliott.
About the UN Office on Drugs and Crime:
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) is the lead UN agency fighting all forms of human trafficking including: child soldiers, sex slaves, forced labor, or illegal organ transfers. UNODC is the guardian and custodian of the United Nations Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime and its associated Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, and the manager of the UN Voluntary Trust Fund for Victims of Trafficking in Persons Especially Women and Children. UNODC works with governments, the private sector, the media, the arts community, academia, survivors and NGOs to combat human trafficking by raising public awareness, engaging in preventative activities, assisting victims and enhancing the capacity and skills of criminal justice professionals and policymakers.
