Audiences in Jamaica are set to be blown away by the talented local film industry as the non-government organisation Eye on Dependency (EOD) prepares to screen the feature film ‘Trafficked‘ at the end of June.

The ‘Trafficked‘ tour of the Caribbean” was conceptualised by Eye on Dependency as a means to spread awareness of the dangers of drug and human trafficking, two major issues frequently tackled by the long-standing radio programme. 

Support from the Trinbagonian Ministry of Foreign and CARICOM Affairs was provided through its headquarters in Port of Spain and Trinidad and Tobago’s High Commission to Jamaica, headed by Deryck Murray.

The High Commission diligently facilitated logistical and other arrangements for the film screening. FilmTT, the State agency promoting the local film industry at home and abroad, also assisted in covering the accommodation costs, through their line Ministry of Trade and Industry.

Airfare was sponsored by Caribbean Airlines for the EOD team of Garth St. Clair and Natasha Nunez as well as Allan Meiguel, the newly-appointed director of the Counter Trafficking Unit (CTU), who accompanies the EOD team on the tour. 

As executive producer of the film, Eye on Dependency has worked closely with the CTU under the Ministry of National Security since the film’s release in 2015. Trafficked was identified in the Prevention section of the US State Department’s 2017 Trafficking in Persons Report as having contributed to Trinidad and Tobago being elevated to Tier 2 on the report ranking. This was due to the numerous screenings of the film across Trinidad and Tobago for schools, communities, law enforcement and even online. While the film is a retelling of true events around drug trafficking, the CTU believed that human trafficking indicators were also present and sought to use the film as a teaching tool to highlight the act, means and purpose of modern-day slavery. The team arrives in the ‘Land of Wood and Water’ on June 24.

There will be two screenings of the film on consecutive days, comprising a meet & greet before the film and a Q&A segment for the audience after.

The first screening will take place on June 25 to a joint audience of the University of the West Indies (UWI) and University of Technology (UTech) students and faculty at LT 50 Shared Facilities at the Papine-based institution.

The second screening on June 26 will be at Palace Cineplex to a specially invited group of stakeholders in the diplomatic, law enforcement, social work and NGO sectors. The occasion also marks World Drugs Day, a United Nations commemoration highlighting annual themes which Eye on Dependency has promoted on its radio programme over the past 22 years.

Eye on Dependency director and co-host, Garth St. Clair, said of the tour that he is “Excited to be allowed to spread the word throughout the Caribbean about the importance of these issues while demonstrating, through the presence of the CTU on the tour, that government of Trinidad and Tobago is making significant strides in combating the scourge of drug and human trafficking.”

Apart from the goal of raising awareness, Eye on Dependency hopes to make connections with anti-trafficking organisations in Jamaica, to reinforce the need for Caribbean territories to share information, knowledge and insight into the global crimes of drug and human trafficking which continue to plague the region and to showcase the power of the arts (specifically film) in telling stories that can positively impact real-life victims and survivors. 

‘Trafficked‘, written and directed by Sean Hodgkinson, is one of a few locally produced films that can boast of critical and commercial success in Trinidad and Tobago and the world, by winning several awards at film festivals in Asia, North America and the Caribbean.