Trade of Innocents

Last updated
Trade of Innocents
Directed byChristopher Bessette
Written byChristopher Bessette
Produced byBill Bolthouse
Laurie Bolthouse
Jim Schmidt
Starring Dermot Mulroney
Mira Sorvino
John Billingsley
Trieu Tran
Edited byDiane Brunjes Robb
Music byTimothy Hosman
Production
company
The Bicycle Peddler LLC
Distributed byMonterey Media (US)
Release dates
  • June 2012 (2012-06)(Breckenridge Festival of Film)
  • October 2012 (2012-10)(Quad Cinema)
Running time
91 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Trade of Innocents is a 2012 American made thriller independent film written and directed by Christopher Bessette and starring Dermot Mulroney, Mira Sorvino, John Billingsley and Trieu Tran.

Contents

The film was shot on location in Bangkok, Thailand. It will look to bring awareness and involvement to work against human trafficking. [1]

Plot

In the back streets of a tourist town in present-day Cambodia, we find a filthy cinder block room; a bed with soiled sheets; a little girl waits for the next man to use her. Alex, a human trafficking investigator plays the role of her next customer as he negotiates with the pimp for the use of the child. Claire, Alex's wife, is caught up in the flow of her new life in Southeast Asia and her role as a volunteer in an aftercare shelter for rescued girls. She, and Alex both still are dealing with their grief of losing a child years earlier. As both of them struggle in their own way to overcome the pain of their past and realities of child exploitation where they now live and work, they find themselves being pulled together into the lives of local neighborhood girls, whose freedom and dignity are threatened.

Cast

Production

Development

The inspiration of Trade of Innocents came from a combination of the experience of the director (Christopher Bessette) and his trip to Phnom Penh, and the producers Bill and Laurie Bolthouse experience on their trip Phnom Penh. Christopher Bessette and Bill and Laurie later came together to make the film. [2]

Mira Sorvino has a longtime interest in supporting the cause of ending human trafficking. When asked about being in Trade of Innocents she said that "I felt it could be a powerful combination of my activist efforts and my artistic ventures." [3]

Release

In January 2011, Monterey Media acquired the United States and Canada distribution rights for the film from Bicycle Peddler LLC. [4]

Festivals

Trade of Innocents was selected to screen at the following film festivals:

Theatrical release

The film will begin its theatrical released in on October 5 at the Quad Cinema in New York. [6]

Critical reception

The film received a positive reaction from Entertainment Tonight calling it a "powerful and important new film". [7] Media Mike's also called the film "a rare gem that will probably not be seen by many but it really deserves mainstream shot." [8] On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a score of 0% based on 7 critic reviews. [9] On Metacritic, the film has an average weighted score of 29 out of 100 based on 6 critic reviews, indicating "Generally Unfavorable Reviews." [10]

Awards

FestivalCategoryWon
Toronto Cornerstone International Film FestivalBest PictureYes [11]
International Christian Visual MediaBest PictureYes [12]
Breckenridge Festival of FilmBest DramaYes [13]
Breckenridge Festival of FilmAudience Award - 2nd PlaceYes [13]
Breckenridge Festival of FilmBest Best DirectorYes [13]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mira Sorvino</span> American actress (born 1967)

Mira Katherine Sorvino is an American actress. She won the Academy Award and Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in Woody Allen's Mighty Aphrodite (1995).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Billingsley</span> American actor

John Billingsley is an American actor best known for his role as Doctor Phlox on the television series Star Trek: Enterprise.

<i>Blue in the Face</i> 1995 film by Paul Auster, Wayne Wang

Blue in the Face is a 1995 American comedy film directed by Wayne Wang and Paul Auster. It stars Harvey Keitel leading an ensemble cast, including Giancarlo Esposito, Roseanne Barr, Michael J. Fox, Lily Tomlin, Victor Argo, Mira Sorvino, Lou Reed, Keith David, Jim Jarmusch, Jared Harris, RuPaul, and Madonna.

Svay Pak is an urban commune of overseas Vietnamese in Cambodia, north of Phnom Penh. The commune has been renowned as a destination for adult and child prostitution, and while the latter has been cracked down upon, its prevalence as of 2017 was disputed.

Norma Jean & Marilyn is a 1996 made-for-TV biographical film produced by HBO and premiered on May 18, 1996. The film featured Ashley Judd as Norma Jean Dougherty and Mira Sorvino as Marilyn Monroe. It was partially based on the 1989 book Norma Jean: My Secret Life With Marilyn Monroe by actor Ted Jordan, who claimed to have had a years-long relationship with Monroe.

<i>WiseGirls</i> 2002 film

WiseGirls is a 2002 crime drama film directed by David Anspaugh and starring Mira Sorvino, Mariah Carey and Melora Walters. The film was produced by Lions Gate Films, Leading Pictures and Intermedia Films. The story centers around Meg Kennedy, a medical school dropout who gets a part-time job as a waitresses working at an Italian restaurant in New York City. Befriending other waitresses, Kate and Raychel, Meg slowly learns that the restaurant is run by mobsters as she delves deeper into their dangerous world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dermot Mulroney</span> American actor (b. 1963)

Dermot Patrick Mulroney is an American actor. He is known for his roles in romantic comedy, western, and drama films; he has appeared on screen since 1986.

<i>Lulu on the Bridge</i> 1998 American film

Lulu on the Bridge is a 1998 American romantic-mystery drama film written and directed by author Paul Auster and starring Harvey Keitel, Mira Sorvino, and Willem Dafoe. The film is about a jazz saxophone player whose life is transformed after being shot. After discovering a mysterious stone, he meets and falls in love with a beautiful aspiring actress, but their happiness is cut short by a series of strange, dreamlike events. The film was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1998 Cannes Film Festival.

<i>Human Trafficking</i> (miniseries) 2005 television film directed by Christian Duguay

Human Trafficking is a television miniseries about an American Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent going undercover to stop an organization from trafficking people, and shows the struggles of three trafficked women. It premiered in the United States on Lifetime Television on October 24 and 25, 2005 and was broadcast in Canada on Citytv on January 2 and 3, 2006. It stars Mira Sorvino, Donald Sutherland, Rémy Girard, and Robert Carlyle.

Prostitution in Cambodia is illegal, but prevalent. A 2008 Cambodian Law on Suppression of Human Trafficking and Sexual Exploitation has proven controversial, with international concerns regarding human rights abuses resulting from it, such as outlined in the 2010 Human Rights Watch report.

Human trafficking in popular culture refers to depictions of human trafficking, the illegal trade of human beings for the purposes of reproductive slavery, commercial sexual exploitation, forced labor, or a modern-day form of slavery. It has been featured in a variety of popular culture forms and on numerous occasions. This topic has been discussed more and more around the world within the past several years.

<i>The Rambler</i> (film) 2013 American film

The Rambler is a 2013 American independent horror film written and directed by Calvin Reeder.

<i>Careful What You Wish For</i> (film) 2015 film by Elizabeth Allen Rosenbaum

Careful What You Wish For is a 2015 American erotic thriller film directed by Elizabeth Allen Rosenbaum, and starring Nick Jonas, Isabel Lucas, Graham Rogers, and Dermot Mulroney. The film was released on June 10, 2016, by Starz Digital. Its plot is heavily inspired by the 1981 film Body Heat.

<i>The Mountain Between Us</i> (film) 2017 American film

The Mountain Between Us is a 2017 American survival drama film directed by Hany Abu-Assad and written by Chris Weitz and J. Mills Goodloe, based on the 2011 novel of the same name by Charles Martin. It stars Idris Elba and Kate Winslet as a surgeon and a journalist, respectively, who survive a plane crash, with a dog, and are stranded in the High Uintas Wilderness with injuries and harsh weather conditions. The film premiered on September 9, 2017, at the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival, and was theatrically released in the United States on October 6, 2017, by 20th Century Fox.

<i>Homecoming</i> (TV series) American psychological thriller television series

Homecoming is an American psychological thriller television series based on the Gimlet Media podcast of the same name. Created by Eli Horowitz and Micah Bloomberg, the series premiered November 2, 2018, on Amazon Prime Video. Horowitz and Bloomberg also serve as writers and executive producers alongside Sam Esmail, Chad Hamilton, Julia Roberts, Alex Blumberg, Matt Lieber, and Chris Giliberti. Esmail also directed every episode of the first season, which stars Roberts, Bobby Cannavale, Stephan James, Shea Whigham, Alex Karpovsky, and Sissy Spacek.

Michael Ernest Sorvino is an American actor and producer. He is best known as the voice of Tommy Angelo, the protagonist in Mafia. His other acting roles include parts in Summer of Sam, The Trouble with Cali, and Once Upon a Time in Queens. He is the son of actor Paul Sorvino (1939–2022) and Lorraine Ruth Davis and the brother of actress Mira Sorvino.

<i>Lamborghini: The Man Behind the Legend</i> 2022 film by Robert Moresco

Lamborghini: The Man Behind the Legend is a 2022 American biographical drama film written and directed by Robert Moresco and starring Frank Grillo as Italian entrepreneur Ferruccio Lamborghini. It was released in select theaters in the United States on November 18, 2022, by Lionsgate.

<i>Crime Story</i> (2021 film) 2021 American film

Crime Story is a 2021 American crime drama thriller film written and directed by Adam Lipsius and starring Richard Dreyfuss and Mira Sorvino.

Sacrifice is a 2014 American thriller drama film written and directed by Michael Cohn and starring Dermot Mulroney, Melora Walters and Austin Abrams.

<i>Butter</i> (2020 film) 2020 drama film directed by Paul A. Kaufman

Butter is a 2020 American comedy/drama film directed by Paul A. Kaufman and starring Mira Sorvino, Mykelti Williamson, Brian Van Holt, Ravi Patel, Annabeth Gish and Alex Kersting. It is based on the novel of the same name by Erin Jade Lange.

References

  1. ↑ "Human Trafficking - Trade of Innocents". Christian Medical and Dental.com. Archived from the original on 23 July 2012. Retrieved 6 August 2012.
  2. 1 2 Petrucci, Anthony (4 June 2012). "Prophetic Dream Drives Sex Trade Film Production". Charisma News. p. 1. Retrieved 6 August 2011.
  3. ↑ "Mira Sorvino: Saving Sex Slaves". Christianity Today. 3 Oct 2012. p. 1. Retrieved 8 Nov 2012.
  4. ↑ McNary, Dave (23 May 2012). "Monterey Media acquires rights to 'Innocents'". Variety . p. 1. Retrieved 6 August 2012.
  5. ↑ "Trade of Innocents is a fictional story" . Retrieved 6 September 2012.
  6. ↑ "Coming Soon". quadcinema.com. quadcinema. Archived from the original on 1 September 2012. Retrieved 6 September 2012.
  7. ↑ "Exclusive - Mira Sorvino's Worlds Collide". Entertainment Tonight . August 13, 2012. p. 1. Archived from the original on August 15, 2012. Retrieved 2023-05-25.
  8. ↑ "Film Review "Trade of Innocents"". Media Mikes. 1 Oct 2012. p. 1. Retrieved 8 Nov 2012.
  9. ↑ "Trade of Innocents". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved September 6, 2022.
  10. ↑ "Trade of Innocents". Metacritic. Retrieved September 6, 2022.
  11. ↑ "TCIF Film Guide" . Retrieved 8 Nov 2012.
  12. ↑ "TRADE OF INNOCENTS Wins Best Picture Award at ICVM". ChristianCinema.com. 20 July 2012. Retrieved 7 August 2012.
  13. 1 2 3 "The 32nd AnnualBreckenridge Festival Of Film is Over". Breckenridge Festival of Film. 10 June 2012. Archived from the original on 29 October 2007. Retrieved 6 August 2012.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.