“Standing on the Edge of a Thorn” Film Screening Followed by Q & A and Reception Women in Film International Committee / Cast LA / Elemental Productions Tuesday, March 26, 2013 at 7:30 PM Culver City, CA

 

Time
Doors open at 6:45 p.m. Screening starts at 7:30 p.m.

RSVP
By 12 p.m, Tues., March 26. Photo ID mandatory for entry–make sure name matches RSVP. Print out ticket confirmation for easier access and allow time to clear security gate.

Parking
Free at Culver Studios, enter Gate 2, off Ince Blvd.

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Film Screening
“Standing on the Edge of a Thorn” is a short film about the family and community origins of prostitution and sex trafficking in rural Indonesia. Shot over 12 years, it‘s an intimate portrait of a family that descends into the sex trade, amidst poverty and mental illness. “Thorn” shines a light on the conflicts and conditions that propel women to sell their bodies (and the bodies of their children) for monetary gain.  (32 min / Documentary short / English subtitles)

Q&A
Panelists:
Robert Lemelson – director and anthropologist, Elemental Productions
Alessandra Pasquino – producer, Elemental Productions
Ima Matul – organizer and survivor, The Coalition to Abolish Slavery & Trafficking (CAST).
At seventeen, Ima was trafficked for forced labor from Indonesia to Los Angeles and is a former
CAST client.

Moderator: Sandro Monetti, journalist and author

The panelists will discuss filmmaking from both an anthropological and documentary prospective. What are the challenges of bringing a controversial topic to the screen? Of finding subjects willing to open up to the camera? Of working as a male director on women’s issues? The speakers will also address the difficulties of filming in a developing nation and the indispensable role of local contacts and crew. Robert Lemelson will tap his decade of ethnographic filmmaking in Indonesia, while Ima Matul will speak to her work at CAST LA as an advocate for victims of sex trafficking.

Reception
Dessert and wine