In 2004, Adi Ezroni, a well-known Israeli actress and TV personality, learnt of the harsh realities of the underworld of child trafficking. In defence of the rights of children around the globe, Adi decided to get involved in the production of ‘Holly’ – a feature film opening this week in the US – which portrays the life and experiences of an underage girl who ends up in the hands of sexual exploiters.

What started as a narrative project has now turned into an international grassroots movement dedicated to raising awareness of child prostitution and putting an end to the inhumane industry. Here, ASW talks to Adi about the difficulties she faced while shooting the controversial film, and the importance of delivering a clear and urgent message to the international policy-making community.

Q. Tell us about Holly. Where did the idea come from? How did it start?
Adi Ezroni: While travelling on a sabbatical in 2002, my partner, Guy Jacobson, encountered a group of five to seven-year-old girls in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, who aggressively tried to solicit him for prostitution. One of the girls, she was about six years old, said, "I yum very good. I no money today. Mama San boxing me.” (Meaning: the madam of the brothel will beat me up.) He gave them some money and walked away, but decided to do something about it.

While researching the subject, he was horrified to realize that each year around two million children (some younger than a year old) are kidnapped, sold into prostitution and sexually abused worldwide.

I met Guy in 2004, right after his trip. I was on vacation in New York when he told me of his idea to write a narrative film through the eyes of a girl. I was so passionate about making this happen that I suggested I’d be the water girl and decided to leave Israel and my career to pursue the dream of producing a film that would raise awareness on the issue.

The product of this decision was to create a combination of a three-film project which has now evolved into an international grassroots movement to decrease child prostitution, sexual exploitation and child trafficking. We were extremely fortunate to meet Amit Kort and Dr. Smadar Kort who decided to fund the whole project. And we had an incredible crew led by Holly’s director, Guy Moshe.

Q. I understand you had many problems while filming, including being held at gunpoint and even being held hostage for two weeks. Could you share your experiences?
AE: Producing this project has been an uphill battle, and sometimes seemed more like a war. When we arrived in Cambodia, Interpol cautioned us about threats to our lives. We were a group of international filmmakers who had decided to expose explosive subject matter in a corrupt country. Everything that could go wrong, did – the Cambodian, Vietnamese and Chinese mafia were after us, our equipment was held up in the borders and we were extorted to get it back, we had over forty bodyguards with AK-47s guarding us on the set, we had to hide our film, we got stuck in remote rivers, and, finally, after the production team left, I was denied exit out of the country and basically held hostage for two weeks.

When I arrived in the airport to leave the country with a bag full of documentary tapes (for the second film), the officers stopped me and said “cannot” and gave me a warrant in Khmer with the names of the chief producers of the project in English. Since I was the only one there at that point, I realized that I was in danger and I couldn’t go back to the hotel I was staying in. I stayed in a different area in town under a fake name and after about five days, we found out that it was pure extortion. It took me another two weeks and a lot of money; had I not left, it would have become a diplomatic incident.

Q. Child prostitution is largely an undocumented issue. Was the problem larger than you imagined?
AE: Actually, I feel like when we started there wasn’t much awareness to the issue. It was ‘Dateline’ in 2005 that did the first big exposé, I think. And then they started with the series about sexual predators. I knew about the issue, but never ever imagined that it was so vast and so extreme. Three-year-olds? And not only in Asia — everywhere.

That is part of the problem of combating this epidemic – the lack of one geographical/racial/ethnic theme. For example, a brothel was just closed in Queens, NY,with ten-year-old girls.

Q. Tell us some of your favourite moments when filming Holly.
AE: My favorite moments when filming Holly had to do with casting locals for different roles, and especially finding the children that would play the street children in the film. I went to a number of different orphanages and auditioned little Cambodian children to see if they could handle the pressure of being on set, if they understood what we wanted from them, etc. I found a wonderful group of kids who are featured in the film, and an extraordinary boy that plays Holly’s street friend. It was sometimes very difficult because no “good” girl would play a prostitute in a film. We ended up finding real working girls for those scenes.

Also, Somaly Mam, the head of AFESIP (one of the largest organizations that treats these children) and the Somaly Mam Foundation is here in New York for our premier at the UN. After a number of years, hearing Khmer again really made me nostalgic. I loved touring around on a small motorcycle, walking around in the markets, eating exotic fruits.

Q. In your opinion, what is the main cause of human trafficking - aside from there being a great demand for it?
AE: I think that the demand is the key. If you reduce the demand, you’ll reduce the supply. I wouldn’t say poverty, because some of the poorest countries don’t have as much of a problem. It may have to do with a broken family structure/culture, usually as a result of war. But the most important thing to remember is that there wouldn’t be any child prostitution if there weren’t regular clients that look specifically for that, which is why it’s important to strengthen legislature and enforcement.

Q. The making of this film inspired the creation of an active humanitarian movement. Tell us about Redlight Children.
AE: The Redlight Children Campaign is a worldwide grassroots human rights initiative promoting awareness and practical action for reducing the number of children who are sexually exploited each year. The goal is to decrease the demand for child sexploitation by raising awareness through mass media, pressuring governments to enact, amend and enforce more effective legislation and creating a broad coalition of human rights organizations as well as academia and media to deal with the issue.

With an easily accessible website, readers will be able to read information/research about the subject, and send emails to their representatives about what they would like them to do. The emails/communications received are featured on the site for additional accountability and pressure.

Q. What do you think will be the future of human trafficking? What are the solutions being proposed by local and international authorities on the subject?
AE: The TIP (Trafficking in Persons) report that comes out every year ranks the different countries in terms of steps that are taken in enforcement, legislature, education and treatment. There is a strong push now for countries to be able to prosecute their nationals if they’ve found them participating in underage sex. It is already implemented by the US. I hope it will be implemented everywhere. We will be screening the film in DC to ambassadors of all countries, as well as senate and congress, and hope that this will push them in the right direction. If one knows that wherever they are in the world they will be held accountable under the laws of their own country, it makes a difference. Since some countries are still too corrupt to truly implement strong laws, this could definitely be a great step in the right direction.

Q. Given the fact that the issue is still extremely undercover in most countries around the world – especially in the West – what would you advise people to do to help fight child trafficking and sexual slavery in their own communities?
AE: It is not West versus East – this is very important to emphasize. Holly was shot in Cambodia, just like it could have been shot in London, Florida, Mexico, Israel or Croatia…
Go to http://www.redlightchildren.org/

In the coming week we will install an application that will allow you to send letters to your constituents and representatives demanding immediate action.

If you have a nonprofit, if you have a corporation, or are just as passionate as us about the issue – go to www.priorityfilms.com/join.php and see how we can arrange mutual screenings or other ways to spread the word. It is important to keep this film in the theaters, for a long time, so that it gets to the smaller cities, to the college towns and crosses over internationally.

Holly opens in theaters nationwide in the US on November 9. For tickets and more information visit www.priorityfilms.com

— Alonso Dominguez

The 2007 London Film Festival

What’s it all about?
It doesn’t have the glamour of Cannes or the art house cachet of Venice or Berlin but this year’s London Film Festival is attracting its fair share of Hollywood A-listers, including Tom Cruise, Sean Penn, Naomi Watts and Halle Berry.

Why go?
Unlike the other major European film festivals, which are mainly in-house affairs, the LFF is about public audiences. In other words, you don’t have to be a film critic or work in the business to actually get to see the films and, often, meet the cast and crew.

Among the list of more than 300 movies are films from 43 countries. Yes, you can discover obscure South American or Eastern European gems that will never show in London otherwise. You can also get sneak previews of mainstream hits that will shortly show at your local multiplex – Leicester Square will be donning a red carpet 15 times over the two weeks for gala performances.

What’s on the agenda?
Opening the festival is David Cronenberg’s Eastern Promises, a dark thriller set in London’s criminal underworld. Cronenberg and two of the stars, Naomi Watts and Vincent Cassel, will be present. (A tip: If the gala performances are booked up, the stars will usually turn up to the following day’s afternoon screening.)

And the glam factor?
The most extravagant night out will be the premiere of Robert Redford’s political thriller, Lions for Lambs, on October 22. LFF’s main sponsor, The Times, is hosting a state banquet-themed party at the Waldorf Hilton after the screening, which will be attended by Redford and leading man, Tom Cruise, who plays a presidential candidate.

Ken Livingstone, a less glamorous but nonetheless real-life politician, will be hosting the Mayor of London’s gala film – Ang Lee’s Lust, Caution – and a post-screening event at the Royal Opera House on October 20.

Wes Anderson’s new movie, The Darjeeling Limited, closes the festival on November 1. The story of three brothers – played by Adrien Brody, Owen Wilson and Jason Schwartzman – traveling across India, the film promises typical Anderson whimsy with rich images and a great soundtrack. Of the trio, only Wilson – who has been keeping a low profile since a suicide attempt – will be absent from the gala performance.

What else should I get tickets for?
Other highlights will include Sean Penn’s directorial adaptation of the Jon Krakauer book, Into the Wild, Halle Berry in Things We Lost in the Fire (in which she plays a woman who loses her husband) and Michael Moore’s polemic doco, Sicko, about the US healthcare system.

Is there anything to do between screenings?
One of the problems of the LFF has been that screenings are spread out across the city. There is no central venue where film people and the public can mingle. The situation, however, may be different this year with the recent opening of the Benugo Bar and Kitchen at the British Film Institute on the South Bank. For the first time, there will be a classy location for film-goers to hang out before and after screenings at the National Film Theatre.

The details:
The festival runs from October 17 to November 1. Check official website for schedules: www.bfi.org.uk

— Alex Bellos

Tribeca Films Goes to Beijing!

Planet b-boy

Chinese films have always featured strongly at the Tribeca Film Festival, since its founding five years ago by Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal, and Craig Hatkoff. In fact, in the last six years, the Tribeca Film Festival has screened 18 feature length and short films from Chinese filmmakers.

Its fitting then that the Tribeca Film Festival just completed a special two-day independent film event in Beijing. The event was called Tribeca 798 Film Festival Beijing and centered around special screenings of director Benson Lee's documentary Planet B-Boy about the vibrant global resurgence of break-dancing seen through the eyes of a Las Vegas dancer, a Korean son, and a boy facing rascism.

The two days were action-packed and included a block party on opening night at 798, Beijing's thriving and bustling art district, which began as a sprawling communist factory compound.

"We are thrilled to have the opportunity to help create a platform for independent film in China and to further deepen the ties between the Chinese film community and the Tribeca Film Festival," said ASW member Jon Patricof, COO of Tribeca Enterprises.

Grace Chen, Managing Director of William Morris China, adds, "Tribeca 798 Film Festival Beijing is a cultural exchange about community, family, and film that links the creative center of China to the vibrant city of New York."

— Laura Jakobovits

Festival Fever Heats Cannes

The Carlton Hotel, Cannes

Cannes is one of the only places where you can step off the beach, onto a red carpet and into a movie palace. As the Cannes Film Festival turns 60, the film industry's elite, including many ASW members, will inundate this French resort town from May 16th-27th. Festivities will kick off with the opening night premiere of Wong Kar-Wai’s My Blueberry Nights (starring Norah Jones and Jude Law) at the Palais des Festivals. Ten frenzied days of premieres, screenings and parties will follow.

In 60 years, Cannes has defined itself as the most prestigious film festival in the world, a place where filmmakers, film industry, and film fans unite to speak the universal language of cinema. It’s one of the few venues where cinematic legends walk the same red carpet as emerging film artists. This year’s lineup, expertly assembled by festival heads Gilles Jacob and Thierry Fremaux, continues the tradition of Cannes excitement and diversity.

	Audrey Tatou

In the main competition, industry members and fans are buzzing about such stand-out titles as Bela Tarr’s epic return, The Man From London, Julian Schnabel’s true-life The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud’s animated Persepolis, Kim Ki Duk’s acclaimed Breath, James Gray’s anticipated We Own the Night, and Catherine Breillat’s provocative Un Veille Maitresse. The president of this year’s competition jury is acclaimed U.K. filmmaker Stephen Frears (The Queen).

Meanwhile, over in the Critic’s Week section, audiences are clamoring for a chance to view films like Mexican actor Gael Garcia Bernal’s directorial debut Deficit, French film-maker Bruno Merle’s Heros, and Mexican film-maker Simon Bross’ Malos Habitos.

The red carpet highlights outside of the festival’s competition will include Anton Corbijn’s Control (which follows the saga of pioneering British band, Joy Division), Olivier Assayas’ Boarding Gate (starring Asia Argento), Michael Winterbottom’s A Mighty Heart (starring Angelina Jolie), Michael Moore’s latest documentary, Sicko, and Barbet Schroeder’s L’Avocat de la Terreur.

Irish legends U2 will walk the red carpet for a special world premiere of their three-dimensional concert film, U2 3D. Plus, this year, the big sneak preview on everyone’s calendar will include footage from Chris Weitz’s upcoming The Golden Compass, starring Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig. The festival’s selection for a closing night film is French-Canadian director Denys Arcand’s L’Age des Tenebres.

Among the highly anticipated soirées this year: the Ocean’s Thirteen fundraiser for Darfur, the annual AmFar party, Vanity Fair’s annual bash at Hôtel du Cap, the Soho House party at Château de la Napoule, the Fortissimo Films party on Majestic Beach, the American Film Institute cocktails at White Lotus, and New Line Cinema 40th Anniversary Celebration.

-- Matt Dentler

Jamie Patricof

Fisher Stevens and Katie Nehra in Red Angel

Jamie Patricof

Red Angel is director Matt Ross's adaptation of Eric Bogosian play by the same name. It is set on the campus of an elite east coast college, where celebrated novelist David Blau (Fisher Stevens) spends his time working as a guest lecturer, writing, and seducing his female students. He then meets Leena (Katie Nehra), who may just be more than he bargained for. The film explores the shifting and blurry dynamic between professor and student and the moral line that power and authority walk with sexuality.

Interview

What attracts you to the short film genre? What are its limitations and what are its strengths?

Jamie Patricof:The short film genre is great for actors and filmmakers to show their ability. Whether it is a first time filmmaker like Matt Ross trying to show his ability (he has made another short, but not a feature length film), or an actor trying to show a new side of themselves, or just an opportunity to work on interesting material. The limitations are simple, it is short! Seriously, there are very few commercial options with a short and they can be an expensive calling card

This is Katie Nehra's first short film, what did that bring to the production?

JP: I am not sure if it being her first short film brought anything in particular, but her acting ability brought a lot. This is Katie's first film, but she has done one woman shows in New York and L.A., where she had to carry an entire show herself. It added a dynamic where she was able to move a scene just by her looks and her demeanor.

Given that Red Angel is an adaptation of a play, were you casting for actors with an extensive background in theatre? How much of the theatrical did you try and preserve?

JP: When we originally approached Eric Bogosian he didn't feel like it could be adapted into a flim, let alone a short film. However, Matt worked hard to make it work, and he succeeded. In the casting process, we knew that Katie and Fischer were right from the start, and we actually did not do any casting. Both actors having experience on stage was deffinitely a bonus, but was not the main reason we cast either of them.

If there were one shot or scene in the film that really made it worth making, what was it?

JP: The scene on the couch - It has some of the best dialogue I have ever heard.

City?

JP: Palm Springs.

Travel Destination?

JP: Singita, South Africa

Restaurant?

JP: II Sole, in Los Angeles

Museum or Gallery?

JP: Always the Whitney

Film?

JP: Half Nelson, (Babel for a film I did not produce)

Book?

JP: The Blind Side, Michael Lewis

Cause? Which one and why?

JP: Northside Center for Child Development - it provides support for children who are from poor families, but who are also facing additional challenges.

Inspirational Artist?

JP: Martin Scorsese

Historical figure? Why?

JP: Martin Luther King. He defied all the odds.

Top 3 Songs right now:

JP: Peter Bjorn and John - Young Folks
Jack Johnson - Banana Pancakes (my daughter's favorite)
Jay-Z - Lost One

— Sabine Heller.

Andrew Waller

In Taking 5, director Andrew Waller, brings to screen an upbeat, comic story of the insane escapades of two teen idol worshipers. Gabby (Daniella Monet) and Devon (Alona Tal) are the ultimate fans of the mega boy band, 5 Leo Rise (The Click Five). Taking 5 is the product of an emerging trend in pop culture that makes stars out of every day people through exposure on the internet and reality television.

Interview

Taking 5 is a film aimed at a younger audience. Was this something
that attracted you to this project? How so?

Andrew Waller: I've always been a fan of movies and television that explore youth culture. On those networks and in movies targeted to a younger audience there tends to be more of an emphasis on the pure joy of filmmaking. A kind of pop sensibility that doesn't take itself too seriously but that still has a lot of heart. That's the kind of filmmaking that I want to be a part of. The script for Taking 5 has all those elements. It was a fun, fast paced teen adventure story that also has honest emotional moments and situations that people of any age can relate to.

The movie weaves a lot of music into its storyline, with musical performances by Click Five peppered throughout the film. Did you draw inspiration for any of the scenes from music videos?

AW: I do watch music videos regularly and am influenced by their style. But the main influences for this movie came from an early Robert Zemeckis' film called I Wanna Hold Your Hand about a group of teenagers who are trying to sneak into the Beatles appearance on Ed Sullivan. It had a fun, goofy style that both embraced and satirized the hysteria that mega pop bands can create. I also watched Richard Lester's Hard Days Night.

Q: Taking 5 is about the star crazy, American Idol-inspired pop culture that is taking over the world right now. Can you relate to this
phenomena from your own musical past?

AW: I've never been that fanatical about specific bands or artists. I listen to a ton of pop music, I like listening to singles instead of a whole album. I find a song that I like and I play it over and over again till I burn it out. That's what's so amazing about Kidnap My Heart the song that The Click Five wrote, produced and recorded for Taking 5. I've heard that song probably ten thousand times and I never got sick of it. Both versions, the pop version that sounds like a boy band song, and the pop rock version that sounds like Blink 182. They both can stand on their own. The whole movie hinged on their ability to nail that song, and they did that in a big way with Kidnap.

Q: The early-90's saw the likes of Take That bringing boy bands to the forefront of teen music. Does the popularity of Taking 5, with throngs of young girls screaming at the film's premiere, mean boy bands are back?

AW: I grew up in the age of NKOTB and New Edition. Those kind of bands seemed to go away for a little bit in the mid-nineties but it started up again with the Backstreet Boys and N'Sync. I think what makes these bands successful is not necessarily the genre of `boy band', it's the music. If it is fun and pop and listenable to all ages. I think one would be hard pressed to find people who didn't like the Backstreet Boys' I Want It That Way or N'Sync's Bye, Bye, Bye. It was great to watch Taking 5 with fans that already knew the lyrics to Kidnap My Heart. They had listened to it over and
over again on the Taking 5 MySpace page... I love that the net gives people the ability to share their common interests in such a world wide interactive way.

Q: You have had a lot of experience directing young actors. How do you describe the energy it brings to a set?

AW: I've been really fortunate to work with energetic young actors who want to bring something to the table. I like doing a lot of rehearsal, working out the scenes and the characters before we shoot. Allowing the actors to improv lines and play around and then turning around and putting that into the script. I also like to hang out with actors before we begin shooting. I want to observe them naturally, going to the movies, driving around, hanging out playing video games. Take things from their real lives and apply them to their characters. You find yourself remembering a certain type of look or smile that you can recall on set, work it into a scene. For Taking 5, the actors loved hanging out with one another, they were great playing off one another. And they always came ready with an idea, something that would make the movie better.

Director and ASW member Andrew Waller

A scene from Taking 5

The Click 5 as 5 Leo Rise in