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// Films // The Price of Sex

The Price of Sex

Mimi Chakarova / US / 2011 / 73 ' / English - Turkish - Romanian - Russian / S.T. English

Credits

Stephanie Challberg
Mimi Chakarova
Adam Keker
Christopher Hedge
Mimi Chakarova and Stephen Talbot
Christina Andoni
Laura Vlad
Yulia Weeks

Awards & Festivals

2011, Winner, Nestor Almendros Award for Courage in Filmmaking, Human Rights Watch Film Festival
2011, Winner, Daniel Pearl Award for Outstanding International Investigative Reporting

Links & Reviews

Upcoming Screenings

Stay tuned for upcoming screenings!

previously screened

A bold and shocking investigation of sex trafficking, this unflinching doc reveals the darkest side of a pervasive yet undeterred industry in Eastern Europe.

Synopsis

An unprecedented and compelling inquiry, THE PRICE OF SEX sheds light on the underground criminal network of human trafficking and experiences of trafficked Eastern European women forced into prostitution abroad. Photojournalist Mimi Chakarova’s feature documentary caps years of painstaking, on-the-ground reporting that aired on Frontline (PBS) and 60 Minutes (CBS) and earned her an Emmy nomination, Magnum photo agency’s Inge Morath Award, and a Webby for Internet excellence.

Filming under cover with extraordinary access, even posing as a prostitute to gather her material, Bulgarian-born Chakarova travels from impoverished rural areas in post-Communist Eastern Europe, including her grandmother’s village, to Turkey, Greece, and Dubai. This dangerous investigative journey brings Chakarova face to face with trafficked women willing to trust her and appear on film undisguised. Their harrowing first-person accounts, as well as interviews with traffickers, clients, and anti-trafficking activists, expose the root causes, complex connections, and stark significance of sexual slavery today.