Gainesville screening of human-trafficking documentary planned

GAINESVILLE - The human slave trade is alive and well and is the third largest industry in the world. It thrives on each continent, with an estimated 27 million enslaved people around the world, and there have been a number of high-profile cases of it in Atlanta.<br /> <br /> Eighty percent of all trafficking victims are women and children who are forced into the commercial sex trade.<br /> <br /> "Nefarious: Merchant of Souls," a documentary that exposes the trends in modern sex slavery, will have a Gainesville screening at 7:00, Tuesday, Oct. 23. The screening, recommended for viewers aged 18 and up for mature content, will be shown in the sanctuary of Westminster Church on Thompson Bridge Road.<br /> <br /> Admission is free and open to the public.<br /> <br /> Exodus Cry, an international anti-slavery organization, created the award-winning documentary depicting the business from several perspectives, filming in 19 different countries; spanning from North and Central America to Europe, Asia and the Middle East. <br /> <br /> The organization and film were conceived by Benjamin Nolot who wrote, directed and co-produced the film. Cinematographer and co-producer Matthew Dickey is a graduate of the Savannah School of Art & Design.<br /> <br /> Nolot had become aware of the horrors and magnitude of modern-day slavery (sexual, domestic, industrial, and agricultural) through a friend in 2007. He began Exodus Cry to bring the issue to light and move people to take action for the abolition of the industry, a $32 billion per year industry that brings in more revenue than the NFL, NBA, NHL and MLB combined.<br /> <br /> Tom Stewart, an elder at Westminster Church, initiated the Gainesville screening. <br /> <br /> "I've had an interest in human trafficking going back several years," Stewart, a physician and former director of an international ministry for street children, said. "I learned about this documentary from an acquaintance, and when I saw it, I was immediately struck that it must be seen by others."<br /> <br /> Stewart hopes to see college students, local church groups and anyone interested in human rights at the screening.<br /> <br /> Representatives of Exodus Cry will be at the screening to discuss their work, and local organizations that work to assist people in slavery will have tables.

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