Film & Television
TV Advert
IOM will air South Africa’s first ever television advert on human
trafficking in May 2007. Aimed at raising public awareness of the problem
of trafficking in South Africa, the advert reveals the deceptive ploys
used by traffickers to lure unsuspecting individuals. The advertisement
was developed by international advertising agency Saatchi
& Saatchi, who donated their creative expertise and
strategic media know-how to the project as a part of their corporate
social responsibility activities. “We were touched by the work
being done by IOM and the difference they make to women who are trapped
in appalling conditions,” explains Grant Meldrum, Managing Director
of Saatchi & Saatchi South Africa.
Documentary
IOM is producing a 30 minute documentary on trafficking trends in Southern
Africa, which will be utilized as a training tool as well as distributed
to IOM offices globally. Using the investigative journalism expertise
of A² Media Productions, the documentary will be a moving and timeless
film that will educate and entertain while giving a face to, and providing
an authoritative record of, one of the most dehumanizing phenomena of
our time.
The film will be used as a tool in IOM’s training and capacity
building efforts with government, civil society and NGOs in the region.
It is hoped it will also be shown to a wider audience as an exercise
in raising general public awareness.
Justice for All
Since 1998, SABC has screened a TV series entitled "Justice for
All" in collaboration with TV producers Southern Exposure. This
legal drama series aims to raise awareness about basic human rights
issues affecting South Africans. IOM will be commissioning three scripts
which will all have a storyline involving human trafficking. The episodes
will be aired as part of Justice for All’s fifth season, which
will debut in mid 2008. IOM’s help line number will be screened
at the end of each episode during the series. To complement the episodes,
an outreach component will be be developed, which will be linked to
the Life Skills component of South Africa's high schools syllabus.
The Swiss
Agency for Development and Cooperation developed a similar
programme with Justice for All which was aired in 2003. The series focussed
on children's issues, in relation to the law.
Escudo
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With the technical support of IOM, a team of fourth
year film students from South Africa’s leading film school,
AFDA, produced a compelling short film about human trafficking into
South Africa. Escudo follows the tragic story of a young rural Mozambican
woman who accepts a job offer as a waitress in Johannesburg, South
Africa, only to find herself at the ruthless hands of a trafficker
who forces her to become a prostitute once she arrives there. As
the story unfolds, a young and ambitious woman’s hopes and
dreams turn into a living nightmare as she finds herself exploited,
helpless and alone. IOM’s human trafficking help line number
is screened at the end of the movie. |
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The success of this film by first time film-makers
Wolfgang Muller and Lucia Meyer has been exceptional. After winning
three awards for best screenplay, best actress and best producer
at AFDA’s year- end award ceremony, Escudo went on to win
the first ever South African Film and Television Award (SAFTA)
for best student film. The film was also selected for regular
broadcast on South Africa’s national subscription television
stations MNet and DSTV’s Movie Magic Channel, and across
the continent on MNet Africa. More recently, it has been officially
selected for both the New York and Los Angeles Independent Film
Festivals, as well as the Amnesty International Film Festival
in New Zealand. |
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Desperate and alone, Francesca runs through
the streets of Hillbrow looking for help. IOM's Counter-Trafficking
litterbin is seen in the foreground. |
In its March 2006 periodical, Migration, IOM published Ample
and Urgent Reasons for Combatting Human Trafficking in Southern Africa,
which highlights the film and the problem of human trafficking in the
region.
VUKA! Awards
South Africa’s VUKA!
Awards are awarded to professional and amateur filmmakers
for their production of public service announcements (PSA) produced
for a registered charity or non-government agency. Two young filmmakers
have entered the competition with PSA’s developed for IOM’s
SACTAP. IOM contributed technical support, and the help line number
was featured in both commercials.
