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 Rather she was drawn to what the film, "SOLD", which opens in
New York this week reveals - the exploitation of millions of
girls who are sold into sexual slavery around the world.
"It's not the role. It's got to do with the campaign," the
American actress told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.
The film juxtaposes breathtaking scenery shots of the Himalayas
with gruesome images of violence and degradation in the brothel
and slum where the girl, named Lakshmi, and others are held
captive.
Anderson, known best for her role as Agent Dana Scully in the
popular U.S. television series "The X-Files," plays a
photographer who joins forces with an activist group trying to
rescue the enslaved women and children.
Anderson, 47, has been involved in a number of charities, from
Neurofibromatosis Inc that supports research into a genetic
disorder that afflicted her brother to SA-YES that mentors youth
in South Africa.
But the issue of child sex trafficking has risen to the top of
her list, she said during a recent media junket promoting the
film in New York.
"It's always important to choose the causes that break our
hearts and this, the thought of children being trafficked for
sex, breaks my heart," she said. "So I feel quite empowered and
impassioned."
Globally, nearly 21 million people are victims of human
trafficking, a $150 billion industry, according to the United
Nation's International Labour Organization.
Of that total, an estimated 4.5 million people are forced into
sex work. Children are estimated to comprise 5.5 million of the
overall victims, according to the ILO.
"It is so disturbing and so ugly, but what's important is that
it is in our face so that we are moved to action," Anderson
said.
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"SOLD" is backed by a campaign called TaughtNotTrafficked which aims
to raise awareness of trafficking, support survivors and lobby for
government and policy changes in partnership with advocacy groups
worldwide.
"The movement behind the film is bigger than the film itself," she
said.
While in limited theatrical release, the 97-minute film can be
screened on request through a company listed on the website
SOLDtheMovie.com. Such on-demand showings allow people to arrange
screenings in markets where it otherwise might not play.
Graphic scenes in the full-length version depict rape, beatings and
abuse. But a shorter version suitable to be shown in schools also is
available.
"The power of the film is that it has those scenes because that is
the reality of what happens," Anderson said.
"It's a very difficult movie," she said. "It's a difficult subject
matter to talk about children being systematically raped but we need
to get past that."
"SOLD" was directed by Jeffrey D. Brown, who won an Academy Award in
1986 for the short film "Molly's Pilgrim", and features Indian
actress Niyar Saikia as Lakshmi.
Emma Thompson, awarded an Oscar for Best Actress in 1993 for her
role in "Howards End," was executive producer.
(Reporting by Ellen Wulfhorst, Editing by Katie Nguyen; Please
credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson
Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, women's rights, trafficking,
land rights and climate change. Visit http://news.trust.org)
[© 2016 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2016 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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