A new competition for young people to make a film to raise awareness of human trafficking has been launched.
Renate (Religious in Europe Networking Against Trafficking and Exploitation) launched its film competition and festival on anti-trafficking at Bafta, in Central London.
Julian Shaw of BAFTA said the academy was delighted to support anti-trafficking work and to host the film festival.
Jon Hackett, director of film and communications at St Mary’s, Twickenham, chaired the launch, pointing out that his university has a Bakhita Centre for Research on Slavery, Exploitation and Abuse, named after the St Josephine Bakhita, patron saint of trafficking.
Renate believes that film is an effective way to reach people. Renate has been inviting 16-24-year-olds in Europe to enter their film competition to raise awareness around human trafficking. Sometimes called modern slavery, it has been described by Pope Francis as a “crime against humanity”.
A film shown at the launch focused on a man who was held in slave-like conditions in Slovenia for nearly four years, working long hours with no wages. Renate said there are at least 27 million modern slaves globally.
Winning entries will be shown in London at Renate’s film festival in September.
All three winning entries will be shown at the Royal Society of Arts and the overall winner will be shown at a private viewing at Bafta, in Piccadilly, London.
The film festival will also show films made by Renate members and friends. The goal of this film festival is to expose the plight of modern-day slaves by providing a platform for victims and survivors to share their stories and the impact it has had on their lives; to encourage people to combat modern slavery; and to showcase the work of Religious across Europe who care for the victims whilst advocating for legislative change to end the practice.
British Loreta Sister Imelda Poole MBE, who is based in Albania and heads Renate, said that 70 per cent of Renate’s 350-plus members work directly with victims of modern-day slavery.
“And trafficking covers more than sex trafficking,” she said. “It can be labour trafficking and trafficking in human organs.” She added: “The cross of Jesus Christ is never far from the heart of this mission.” Cardinal Vincent Nichols, who is president of the Santa Marta Group which also works to prevent human trafficking and modern slavery, has described Sr Imelda, and her many colleagues in other religious congregations as “champions” in this important work.
Sr Marie Power of TRAC (Trafficking Awareness-Raising and Campaigning) said that her organisation, formed by 16 religious congregations in the UK, works with RENATE, “to give victims a forum to tell their stories”. She suggested that the cheap clothes industry, car washes, fruit and vegetable fields, and nail bars are amongst the places where people can be found working and living in slave-like conditions. The religious help victims escape oppressive conditions, provide safe houses and help some to return home. “We should decriminalise the victims, such as women in prostitution, and criminalise the buyers of sex,” she suggested.
Rachel Sweetman of RENATE said young film makers have three weeks left to produce a short film, up to four minutes long, individually or as part of a team, around the slogan ‘Slavery- Human Trafficking – Near YOU!’, and some or all the tags #StopTheDemand, #BreakTheChains, #EndTheCycleTOGETHER. The deadline for entries is 20 August 2021 and advice for entrants is available on the RENATE events website. Competition winners will receive £2000 for first place, £1000 for second place, and £500 for third place. The prize money is per entry, so if entering as a team the prize money will be shared between team members.
Further details about the Film Festival on 12 September and the competition are at the RENATE events website.
Loading ...
