About The Films
THE PRICE OF SEX
Playing at The Hamptons International Film Festival
Thursday, October 13 at 4:30PM and
Friday, October 14 at 10:30AM
in Regal East Hampton Cinema 6 (UA) Theater.
From Mimi Chakarova, Director of THE PRICE OF SEX:
The Price of Sex is a film about sex trafficking in Eastern Europe. The women I followed over seven years grew up in villages similar to my own. Under Communism, we secretly hungered for opportunities in the West and when the Berlin Wall fell in 1989, we finally had a chance to taste raw capitalism. Many in rural villages, however, lacked the skills and education to survive it. Girls, some still teenagers, became a commodity to be sold, exploited and discarded. Some call them foolish and unfortunate; others call them sex slaves, but they share the same story: desperate to leave, they were promised work abroad and instead sold to pimps to work in brothels and sex clubs. Over time I found young women who had survived and for seven years followed their stories to the countries where they were trafficked and back to their villages. This film is a testament to their courage – their willingness to expose the darkest and most haunting inner-workings of sexual slavery.
Read more at the film’s website: www.priceofsex.org
To hear Mimi Chakarova’s interview on NPR’s Talk of the Nation, please visit
http://www.npr.org/2011/06/23/137372838/human-trafficking-the-terrible-price-of-sex
HAPPY NEW YEAR
Playing at The Hamptons International Film Fesstival
Saturday October 15th, 12:15 PM at The United Artists - Theatre 1
and Monday October 17th, 7:00 PM at The United Artists - Theatre 4
“ ‘Happy New Year’ is a compelling and authentic portrayal of the psychological trauma and existential crisis that is experienced by many veterans who return from war seriously injured not only physically but mentally. ….this film is a must see as it sensitively but honestly explores the incredible pain and suffering of returning veterans…”
-Dr. Robert E. Simpson, Jr., President & CEO / Brattleboro Retreat for Mental Health
After nearly a decade of fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan, multiple tours of duty and the injuries of combat, nearly 20% of U.S. troops will return home to fight another battle against a quieter and at times, just as deadly enemy – post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). With the suicide rate for these veterans at record levels, an epidemic has been declared in the United States.
HAPPY NEW YEAR is an entertaining, yet hard-hitting film that seeks to spark dialogue to eliminate the stigma of mental health issues within the U.S. Armed Forces by shining a light on the alarming rates of PTSD and surging suicide rate. I’m not a veteran, but I’ve decided to use my talents as a writer/director and musician to shed light on this incredibly important issue that, over time, will eventually affect us all. The seeds for this project were planted in 2004 when I came across Nina Berman’s PURPLE HEARTS – BACK FROM IRAQ, a tragically beautiful and powerful book of photographs and interviews of soldiers wounded in Iraq. For someone who was not following the war effort at the time, this book changed my life.
In 2007, while in Chicago researching a play about Chicago policemen, I had the pleasure of meeting an Iraq-vet- turned-Chicago-cop. As we rode around the streets of Chicago, he told me of his life before, during and after war, and how difficult it was to find any sense of normalcy or familiarity with his former life when he returned home. Unable to offer any real words of comfort, I simply listened. I “spoke” later that night by sitting down to write a short play called HAPPY NEW YEAR which told the story of two “lost” veterans re-uniting on New Year’s Eve to contemplate their futures. The play was performed to great success several months later at the award-winning Barrow Group in NYC, and later, at the urging of a group of military mothers who had sons deployed overseas, turned into an award-winning short film that premiered online via The Huffington Post.
When I and lead actor/producer Michael Cuomo (who starred as “Lewis” in the play and short film) decided to go forward with a feature version of this story, I knew that we had our work cut out for us. Though I had written and directed (and Michael had starred in) a powerful and successful play and short film, a feature film was an entirely different animal. Because neither Michael nor I were vets and because this story meant so much to me, I insisted on ensuring as much accuracy as possible. Thus, Michael and I set out on a long journey of interviewing roughly 80 veterans (from Iraq/Afghanistan, Desert Storm, Vietnam and WWII) and their families about their war/post-war experiences, as well as various military, medical and VA personnel. The stories we heard were harrowing. If I had trouble hearing them, I could only imagine how hard life must be for those who lived these unsettling truths.
In our research, we discovered that PTSD is a silent but powerful menace that has affected veterans throughout the history of war. With soldiers from the current conflicts in the Middle East being faced with multiple deployments (as many as 5 or 6 in some instances), PTSD threatens to become a national health crisis. And we, as a society, are simply not adequately equipped to deal with its current scope.
Nearly 54% of affected veterans will not seek treatment. Research has shown that people with PTSD are 6X more likely to commit suicide. The suicide epidemic is not limited to veterans; with the Army itself experiencing an all- time high of 32 active-duty suicides in July 2011, it’s systemic. The facts are shocking:
● 54% of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans with PTSD will not seek treatment1
One In Five Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans Suffer from PTSD or Major Depression, Rand Corporation● ● ●
18 veterans commit suicide each day / 126 each week / 6,552 each year2 Veterans account for one in every five suicides3 In April 2011, the VA suicide hotline received a record number of calls – 14,000 calls or 400 each day4
HAPPY NEW YEAR is our decree as artists to shed light, educate and spur dialogue that ultimately leads to social action in the United States and throughout the world.
The time is now…
● Blue Star Families is a national organization whose mission is to support, connect and empower military families with the ability to educate the nation and shape public policy in a way that addresses the unique needs of military families.
IRAQ & AFGHANISTAN VETERANS OF AMERICA (IAVA)
● IAVA seeks to improve the lives of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans and their families through an empowered generation of veterans who provide sustainable leadership for our country and their communities.
● The Wounded Warrior Project seeks to foster the most successful, well-adjusted generation of wounded warriors in this nation’s history by raising awareness and public resources for the needs of injured service members; helping injured service members aid and assist each other; and providing unique, direct programs and services to meet the needs of injured service members.
● The Mission Continues is a national, nonprofit organization whose mission is to build an America where every returning veteran can serve again as a citizen leader while honoring the fallen by living their values through service.
● Hope For The Warriors is a national, nonprofit organization founded by a group of military wives in 2006 to support wounded U.S. service members, their families, and families of the fallen.
ARTICLES OF NOTE
1. Concern grows over ‘epidemic’ veteran suicide rate
2. After Combat, Victims of an Inner War
3. Military Reckons w/the Mental Wounds of War
4. One In Five Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans Suffer from PTSD or Major Depression
2House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs
3“Concern Grows Over ‘Epidemic’ Veteran Suicide Rate”, McClatchy, May 25, 2011
4“Concern Grows Over ‘Epidemic’ Veteran Suicide Rate”, McClatchy, May 25, 2011
