By Priyal Patel
The Asian American International Film Festival is kicking off their 37th annual festival in New York on July 24. A recognized platform for Asian Cinema, the festival will be showcasing a film called “Sold” for their opening night. “Sold,” tells the story about a thirteen-year-old girl from Nepal who is taken from her home and forced into a brothel in Kolkata, India. The film is an adaptation of Patricia McCormick’s novel of the same name that is based on true events.
The opening night AAIFF screening will be followed by a Q&A session with the film’s director, Academy and Emmy award winner Jeffery D. Brown. Brown, along with executive producer, and 2-time Academy award winner, Emma Thompson, hopes that the film will bring awareness about child trafficking and slavery around the world. Brown felt that “Sold” was “a story that could make a powerful film which would shed light on a dire issue and could drive a campaign to raise funds for children who had been through this terrible ordeal.”
The festival will also be featuring Producer Jane Charles, author Patricia McCormick, and actress Seirah Royin for the Q&A.
The film seems to be a great selection for opening night, as AAIFF is known to be an opportune platform for filmmakers and storytellers pushing for social change and awareness.
For those attending AAIFF, “Sold,” will be showing opening night and an encore screening of SOLD will be held on July 26th at City Cinema Village East. For more information on the festival, please visit AAIFF.