Cannot run away

Every year, thousands of poor girls from all over Asia and the world, but particularly from the Philippines, fall victim to an organized international prostitution racket which lures them away from their native countries with promises of decent, ordinary jobs with good wages. When they arrive in the host country, their sponsors take all their identification papers and passports from them (not to mention any money they may have), and force them into a life of prostitution.

Social Interest

The number of sex trafficking victims is startling: reportedly something like 50,000. This documentary explores the plight of these girls in the Netherlands, Germany and Japan.

Political Interest

While prostitution is (in certain circumstances) legal in several of those countries, none of them condone slavery. The filmmaker not only interviews the victims of this chicanery, but also puts local officials on the spot, inquiring why this has been allowed to go on. Eventually, the director took the information she gathered in making this film and saw to it that the Filipino man who headed up the racket was prosecuted for his many crimes.

Awards

Cannot runaway was selected for the IDFA competition, nominated for the Golden Calf in Utrecht, and shown around the world at a number of prestigious filmfestivals – Leningrad (toen nog Leningrad) special mention Marseille, Finland, Japan, New York Human Rights Film festival, Freiburg. The film was also sold and aired internationally in several countries – Finland, Belgie, Zweden, Israel, USA, Canada, and Japan.