Interview: Human Trafficking Filmmaker Guy Jacobson

Recently, I had the chance to chat with Guy Jacobson, creator of the critically acclaimed film Holly, about a young girl trafficked into prostitution in Cambodia.  While making Holly, Guy also started the Redlight Children Campaign to raise awareness about child trafficking.

Rare in the anti-trafficking movement, Guy walks the fine line between the serious subject and being downright funny.  His passionate rhetoric is punctuated with his charming, earthy Israeli accent and sharp, self-deprecating wit. It's with a joking twinkle in his eye that he says his career change from high-powered New York lawyer to anti-trafficking filmmaker was a huge disappointment to his Jewish mother.  But it is with grave seriousness that he tells the story of traveling through Cambodia and being solicited by throngs of 7, 8, and 9-year-old girls.  He recounts,

"'Me yum yum you,' said one of the little girls.  ‘Me no have money, then mamasan be boxing me.'  She meant that the madam of her brothel was going to beat her that night if she didn't return with money."

It was then Guy decided he couldn't sit back and wait for someone else to help these children.

Amanda: You mentioned that you made Holly to draw attention to the issue of child trafficking.  Do you think you've succeeded? 

Guy: I would like to believe that the last 7 years of my life have made whatever amount of tiny impact to put this issue more on the agenda, to make it slightly more mainstream.  We've tried to use the film to get law firms and associations and corporations involved and active.  I hope that people will hear about this issue because of [Holly], people who may not want to hear an academic panel about trafficking but will go see a film.  If not, (he chuckles) my mother was right and I should have stayed an attorney and made more money. 

Editors Note: Holly has inspired perhaps hundreds of news articles and other media pieces on this issue, so despite Guy's commendable modesty, he has made much more than a slight difference.

Amanda: One of my favorite things about listening to you speak is your use of humor.  Given the seriousness of the subject matter, where is there room for humor in anti-trafficking activism? 

Guy: In my case, I am just a smartass!  But seriously, child trafficking is an incredibly difficult issue, and maybe the reason this issue is not discussed more regularly is that it so emotionally difficult and taxing.  It is a gross human rights violation and a crime against humanity.  It involves the word "sex", and it makes people want to put their hands on their ears and go "la la la!" So I use a little bit of humor; it's a way to ease people into the issue.  Humor can allow people to hear it more easily. 

Amanda: Sounds like between your wit and the film you chose to make, you're all about making this issue accessible to as many people as possible. 

Guy: Then bottom line is you can't only preach to the choir.  You can't only talk about trafficking to the people who already know about it.  I realized I knew so little- the scope, the ages of the children, the location and the prevalence.  If I didn't know these things, and I'm reasonably educated, then the issue is not in the media.  I thought maybe I can leverage mass media to reach the masses. 

Amanda: Do you have plans to make another anti-trafficking movie? 

Guy: I think there are enough contracts on my life after the first one (he laughs)! When we shot Holly, at the same time we started working on a documentary. It's called Redlight, and Lucy Liu is the producer and narrator.  It follows the story of Somaly [Mam] and the kids [in her shelter] for five years.  We're in the polishing stages, and we hope it will be premiered in the major international film festivals later this year and released in theaters in 2010.  Beyond that, as a filmmaker, I personally don't have another story to tell on this issue.

You can find out more about Holly, Redlight, and Guy's other projects at www.priorityfilms.com and www.redlightchildren.com.  The trailer for his Holly is below, and it is now available on DVD on the Priority Films website.