PODCAST: actress Gillian Anderson presents film at UN on human trafficking

“Film can change the world,” said actress Gillian Anderson in a recent interview at the United Nations about the movie SOLD, the story of a 13-year-old Nepalese girl's journey into sexual slavery and eventual emancipation.

In the latest episode of the UN Radio podcast series The Lid is On, Ms. Anderson – best-known for her role in television's X-Files – said the project is a shining example of the impact film can have.

“When I started working on this I had no idea what the truth of the situation as it stands right now globally, the amount of children that are trafficked, the amount of humans that are trafficked into slavery, I was completely naïve about it and I was also shocked by the degree of my naivety as somebody who is quite active in various organizations and charities and has been for many years,” Ms. Anderson told UN Radio producer Matthew Wells.

She added that combating sex trafficking of young women and girls has now become her number one priority when it comes to advocacy.

“The message is bigger than the film itself,” she insisted. “Getting involved with the campaign around the film and seeing the impact that the right kind of campaigning can have on a movement and a broader conversation and a degree of activism is really remarkable and quite unique, and very inspiring.”

The podcast also features an interview with a 19-year-old trafficking survivor from the United States, as well as with the film’s director Jeffrey Brown.