ScreenPrism had the opportunity to talk with Sold (2016) producer Jane Charles about how the film brings awareness to the issues of sex trafficking and women’s rights.

SP: How did you get involved with Sold (2016) as a producer?

Jane Charles: I’ve been part of the film industry since 1987 in Vancouver, BC. I worked on 21 Jump Street (1987 – 1991), Pure Luck (1991), and Bird on a Wire (1990). Then I got back into independent film – I ran production companies in Vancouver for years. When I was running a company, a friend introduced me to Jeff Brown, who won an Oscar for his short film Molly’s Pilgrim (1985). He was looking at different books to option and make [into a] film. He found Sold, and he called me and said, “You have to read this book.” I read it in 2 hours and sobbed through it, and I thought people would really resonate it. I said, we have to make this film, whatever it takes – and that was 9 years ago now.

Producer Jane Charles

SP: Along with Jeffrey, it’s great to see so much female talent bring this women’s issue to light.

JC: We’re all bringing everyone we know into the issue, because this issue will only change if we bring everyone together. We started this journey and met a lot of people who are working on the front lines of this issue. We decided not to start out own nonprofit around the film, but there are nonprofits that have started because of the film, like Stolen Youth, which I’m the cofounder of in Seattle. We’ve seen a lot of things change just by putting attention and time into the issue. With advocacy things have changed drastically in Seattle – laws have been changed, we now recognize that underage prostitutes are victims and not criminals, other laws have changed. There has been much more funding locally because of the advocacy that we’ve done. We’ve raised over 750k a year, and Stolen Youth wants to show others how to change this in their own community.

SP: Your advocacy meshes well with a city like Seattle, which has a progressive, activist-minded population. How do you approach bringing this issue to cities that might be less prone to activism?

JC: We find that when people see this film, they are glued to their seat and want to know how they can do something. This film has spurred a lot of activism in people that are new to activism. [These people] come up to us in tears and ask, “What can we do?” So we partnered with United Way, Walk Free, Save the Children, World Vision, and the Rotary Clubs International. Now Junior League is getting involved. Big organizations that will help bring people out to see the film – that is the first step. Awareness is key. If people don’t know about the issue, they can’t do anything about it.

SP: What are your thoughts on millennials who are lukewarm about feminism and activism? How do you turn them into global citizens?

JC: If [you] can travel and see the rest of the world – immerse yourself. You will know that we definitely lead a privileged life, that women and children are marginalized in every country in the world and we need to do something about it. And if we don’t pay our women as well as our men, if women aren’t as educated as men, we aren’t going to be the shining example that we should be for the rest of the world. Raising the status of women and children in the world should be the goal that all of us have for this century. That is not just in the US or overseas; it’s right here. We have to keep track of where we are. We have not yet arrived. Yes, we’ve gone through some difficult times, but look at Sheryl Sandberg’s Lean In – as much as we try, we [must] continue to strive for equality in pay. This is something Gillian talked about in an interview. She did the new X-Files (1993 - ) series and at the start, she was not being paid the same as her male costar.

Gillian Anderson as Sophia in Sold (2016)

SP: It seems like people are finally paying attention.

JC: Gillian got it this time, but of course, going forward, she will still have to fight for equal pay in her roles. That she even has to – it is so obvious that [Gillian and her X-Files costar, David Duchovny] do the same job. Look at Friends (1994 - 2004), when they banded together and said, “We want everyone on the show to make the same amount of money, and we’re not going to do it any more unless you pay us all the same wage for every episode.” It was an expensive show, but good for them!

We can do little things in our own lives, too. You do vote with your money – buy things from businesses you know are fair. There are companies that are better to work for, as women – support those businesses. Support people around you when you see they need help. We’re all struggling. Life is not an easy journey.