-

Trade of lnnocents{(...we hnpe ii-rat Trade nf lnnnlents wiLL Leave a lasiirrg rnark an

lhose wha sce rt, and that ii lvrLl come to be the defining fiLrn nn the

horribLe reaLity af Lhe iraffickinE af pers0ns, particulariy the sexuaL

nxpLnitatirn nf rhil"ilre n worLdwrde fnr 0rofit."

Jim Schmidt, Producer

WRITER + DIRECTOR

Christopher Bessette

There are seminal moments in each of our lives that we can point toand say, "This changes everJthing."

I stood alone in the community center's freshly painted,sterilized room, in a building in Cambodia that was once knownas a brothel. This room was called the "pink room" or the "virginroom," where children were held to be sold to pedophiles. Ilooked through the bars ofthe second storywindow to the dirtstreet below and saw children laughing and playing. I imagineda little girl looking through the same window, wishing she couldbe out there. I distinctly remember the whispered words slippingout of my mouth, "Oh God, I have to do something; help me tellher story."

Based on facts,Trade oflnnocents takes the dramatic thriller and stepsit up a notch bygiving the audience an opportunity to experience reallife events they could never imagine. My hope is that as the audienceroots for our heroes, the realization comes to them, "Now that Iknow- this changes everJthing."

PRODUCER

Jrm Schmrdt

We believe that film can inform, even educate, as it entertains.'W'hat'smore, we believe film can impact culrure in lastingways. On an earlylocation scout for Trade of Innocents, Christopher Bessette and I werein Cambodia, visiting the temple of Ta Prohm, one of the temples ofAngkor $7at, which figtres into our story. Ta Prohm was made iconicin a scene from Lara Crort: Tomb Raider in zoor, where AngelinaJoliestruck a memorable, backlit pose near a to'wering dam kor tree.

As I stood near the base of that tree in March zoro, I heard a tourguide say, "'W'e refer to this as the Angelina Tree." My first thoughtwas, Nolru let me get tbis straigbt: A 9oo-year-old ternple, utitb a zoo-year-old tree, tbe roots of wbicb are literally srttallouing ttp tbe walls of thattemple, and we name tbe tree after a modern-day moaie star. If tbat\ not

film impaaingcuhure, I donl hnow uhat is.

In the same way, we hope that Trade of Innocents wlllleaye a lastingmark on those who see it, and that it will come to be the defining filmon the horrible realiry of the trafficking of persons, particularly theprofi t-driven sexual exploitation of children worldwide.

PHOTOS: COURTESY MONTEREY 14EDlA INC

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ACTOR

Dermot Mu roney

Shooting T'rdde o-f Innocen s stands apart for me, not just because thefilm is a harrowing and horrifuingly true toJife depiction of the childsex trade in Asia and the peoplc on the front lines ofthe fight tobring human trafficking to an end-sometimes one child at a time-but because making it was such a unique experience.'Working inintense heat, in sometimes grueling locations in and around Bangkok,Thaiiand was indeed exotic, but it was the people who worked on thefilm who made this production a truly memorable experience for me.To have been part of making a movie about an issue affecting millionsof people worldwide and to be able to carry this message by way of anelfective narrative is a trulv unusual experience and for me, a trueprivilegc.

The director and u,riter of Trade o-f Innorezfs, Christopher Bissette,based some of the scenes in TOi on episodes he witnessed. Scenessuch as the pedophile sex tourist leaving the lounge with the younggirl led IChristopher] to research, become passionate about, andultimatelv, write this screenplav. His dedication to ending humantraificking breathes throughout this film.

The star, -\lira Son,ino, has long given her time, boundless energy,and heart to manv causes, including fighting human trafficking,through her L \ODC Goodwill Ambassadorship and herinvolvement in Ar.nnesn International.

At the time I first read the screenplay ol Trade of Innocents, Iknew no more about this global problem than the average newsconsumer. The actual numbers on human trafficking overwhelmedme at first, and I was quickly impressed by how much informationthere is on human trafficking-especially on the Internet-and howmany individuals and organizations are fighting this cruel form ofexploitation every day. I closed the computer, finished the script, andtook the part in the movie.

I will never forget the first day of filmingTrade of Innocents.The flrstsequence we shot was the scene where I'm riding on the boat to getto the hovel to locate and document the first young girl. Riding inthat long, flat boat onlywith the Thai-speaking actor on an openriver outside Bangkok was a world away from my r,?ical tife. Theuniqueness of that experience instantly thrust me into the exactcircumstances of the character and into a world where children areexploited, millions of dollars are made, and whole governments lookaway from injustices unimaginable. It is our world.

Trade of Innocen s is that rare film that manages to be as gripping as a

thriller, deeply compelling, heartbreaking, and true at the same timethat it sheds light on this important issue that is rarely depicted infilms. The persistence of the problem of human trafficking [proves]that it will take all the efforts of committed world citizens toeventually end human trafficking and slavery in all forms.

_& ffirt+TRADEOFINNOCENTS,CONl

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ProducerBill Bolthouse

No matter where you are in the world today, whether Phnom Penh,Seoul, San Francisco, Frankfurt, or {any major ciry in the worldJ, youare within a mile or two of a girl who is being held against her willand is about to be sold for sex.'We had two goals inmakitgTradeof Innocents: One was to make people aware that this evil exists butthat there are good people fighting against it. And rwo, to create a

way for our viewers to have a tangible way to get involved for good.Our tagline is 'Justice Needs a Hero."'We created www.justice-generation.com, where everyday people who are horrified by thisreality can go and do something tangible to make a difference in onechild's life.

In a sense, we are handing our viewers a key. If they put that key intheir pocket and walk away, they become a jailer to that victim lwhoisJ locked away and alone. But if they take that key and use it forgood, they have become her liberator, her hero. Let this movie touchyour heart and do its work so that r /e can have more heroes in thisworld and make it a better place for all.

'We released our movie the same weekend as Tahen z, which took in$5o million at the box office in its first three days. The differenceis that our movie starts with the words "Inspired by real events,"whereas theTahen movies are pure shoot'emup fiction.'WithTradeof Innocents, people will be able to see what real-life heroes battle inthe fight against slavery. \7e also will recruit the viewer to join us inthe fight for freedom.

ACTRESS / ACADEIlY AWARD W NNERMira Sorvino

I am very proud to be a part of this film [bothJ as an actress and as a

UNODC Goodwill Ambassador to combat human trafficking. Mostpeople are unaware that this terrible trade ofchildren for sexrralexploitation flourishes both in the U.S. and around the globe. Tradeof Innocents wlll open their eyes and their hearts and inspire them tobecome part of the solution.

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