SAN DIEGO — CBS 8 is a proud sponsor of this year’s San Diego International Film Festival.
The festival is back in-person this year and kicks off next week with film lovers, filmmakers, elected officials, and many others.
The event kicks off next week, featuring a wide variety of films that reflect social and political troubles being felt throughout the world, including 'Exit – A Journey Out of the Heart of Human Trafficking,' a film that focuses on the sex industry and the exploitation of women.
"It’s absolutely fantastic that it’s getting the exposure. San Diego International Film Festival really elevated the film and they’ve elevated the voices of the survivors," said Alison Jayne Wilson, the film's director, writer, and producer.
Exit is the true story of three women who were looking for a way out of poverty and later found themselves being trafficked in Spain.
Wilson says the film highlights the struggles faced by migrant women in trafficking networks.
"It is set in Spain, but as we know, women are trafficked from all over the world to feed the demand for sexual exploitation," Wilson added.
Tonya Mantooth, the festival’s CEO and artistic director says the event is a platform that gives victims a voice.
"Film really allows you to tell the untold story, and as a festival, it’s always been important to us to use the platform to be able to shine a light on important global issues," said Mantooth.
The festival will feature panel discussions and not only shine a light on the issue but also on how to solve it. It’s doing so by partnering with Authentic ID, a cyber-tracking and fraud-detecting technology company that is helping put an end to human trafficking.
"We have the initiative to be able to make our technology available at the edge for law enforcement so they can better identify people that might be missing or people who are suspected victims and can intervene," said Jeff Jani, CEO of Authentic ID.
Mantooth says Exit is an important film also because of how prevalent the issue is local. San Diego is a hotspot for sex trafficking, ranking in at number 13th nationally as one of the worst regions in the United States, according to the FBI.
The festival kicks off next week on October 19 and runs until October 23.
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