Usin Different Mediums to Raise Awareness

Documentaries and ‘based on a true story’ movies are nothing new and can serve a larger purpose beyond entertainment alone. The retelling of true stories is such an engaging way to convey a message and spread awareness about today’s most pressing issues. One of our three pillars here at Auryu is finding an end to human trafficking around the world. Sometimes it’s difficult to fully understand and visualize just how intense this issue is, so there are several movies out that tell the true stories of victims and their journeys. One movie I’d like to highlight is called City of Dreams. With 88% on Fandango and 50% on Rotten Tomatoes, City of Dreams follows the journey of a child named Jesus and the promise of attending a soccer training camp. Instead, Jesus realizes he’s been sold and will be trafficked across the border to work 18-hour days at a sweatshop. He plans a daring escape and the film follows his efforts as he grapples with the major twist in his life. There are so many more moving films about trafficking and the realities that people face every day, but there’s also a channel on YouTube that holds interviews with individuals who have unique stories and troubling pasts. Soft White Underbelly has conducted several interviews with trafficking survivors, giving them a platform to tell their stories. The messages and detailing of experiences are extremely compelling and worth the watch. The channel was started by photographer Mark Laita. Part of Mark’s project is taking a black-and-white portrait of the individuals he interviews to use as the thumbnail on each video. The individual portraits on his channel create a tragic and moving collage of some of the most twisted and unfair stories you’ll ever hear. A sizeable portion of Mark’s interview subjects are homeless, so he compensates them for their time in various ways including cash, purchasing cell phones, and funding recovery programs. Mark has been able to tell so many very real, raw, and uncensored stories I believe everyone should pay attention to. So please, open your eyes, choose to educate yourself, and listen to survivors