San Diego International Film Festival to Partner with Authentic ID and All 4 Humanity Alliance for EXIT Screening

The San Diego International Film Festival has announced their partnership with Authentic ID and All 4 Humanity Alliance in their efforts to continue to shine a light on the issue of Human Trafficking in our community and beyond. The SDiFF has programmed the film EXIT- A JOURNEY OUT OF THE HEART OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING. This documentary tells the true story of three women who were looking for a way out of their extreme poverty and found themselves at the heart of human trafficking networks. DA Summer Stephan will be introducing the film at the festival. Additionally SDiFF will be honoring Dr. Brook Parker-Bello with the Humanitarian Award at the Night of the Stars Tribute on Thursday, October 20th. Dr. Brook Parker-Bello is an author, thought leader, justice advocate, actress, techie, survivor champion against human trafficking, and the Founding CEO of More Too Life, Inc, and a new start up called Eval.

Tonya Mantooth, CEO and Artistic Director of the San Diego International Film Festival shared: "We have broadened the scope of our examination of the issue of human trafficking. We as a festival and community have sought to shine a light on the issue of human trafficking for many years through our curation of films that highlight this heartbreaking topic. This year we continue the conversation with a new film that examine a story of human trafficking. Additionally - we have partnered with AuthenticID, a pioneer in the identity proofing and fraud detection space and The All 4 Humanity Alliance (A4H) a movement that aims to change the course of history by putting an end to human trafficking and the exploitation of children worldwide. We will feature a post screening discussion at the Festival addressing actions we can take within our own community to combat this issue. There is a power in joining forces and offering diverse platforms that can amplify this issue."

There are some horrific statistics on Human Trafficking that have a direct impact on our community. San Diego is a hotspot for Sex Trafficking and the FBI has ranked it 13th nationally as one of the worst regions in the USA.

It is estimated that up to 35 million people a day are sex trafficked globally

50% of that is in the USA alone

Human trafficking is estimated to be a $150 Billion Industry annually with sex trafficking estimated to be $99 Billion worldwide--surpassing Illegal Arms trade and soon to surpass illegal Drug trade.

Approx 70%-75% of victims are women; 30%-25% male. Ages for both include as young as single digit age kids

Sex Trafficking affects most communities in the USA and is a worldwide epidemic

Drug Lords, Organized Crime, Local Gangs and individuals are traffickers

As the festival continues to raise awareness about Human Trafficking - they are also honoring Dr. Brook Parker-Bello with the Humanitarian Award at the Night of the Stars Tribute on Thursday, October 20th. Dr. Brook Parker-Bello is an author, thought leader, justice advocate, actress, techie, survivor champion against human trafficking, and the Founding CEO of More Too Life, Inc, and a new start up called Eval. This award is given to individuals who advocate for humanitarian causes and leverage their influence to make a difference in the world. Past awardees include Geena Davi, Kweku Mandela, Mariel Hemingway and Lindsay Wagner.

Dr. Brook Parker-Bello is the author of several successful books and digital and copy educational curriculum platforms aimed at the prevention of sexual exploitation and gender-based violence as well as the Legacy of Fatherhood, including the author and curator of a new book "Fine Heart Table book" Monaco Edition" a collection of paintings by survivors, supported by the Caryle group, Picasso family with Authentic ID, Mission 3A and Skies Fall. Dr. Bello has spoken alongside presidents, prime ministers, and fellow change-makers at universities, large conferences, and federal agencies. Aside from holding a PhD in Pastoral Clinical Counseling, she was recognized with the Lifetime Achievement Award from President Barack Obama and the White House, the Advocate of the Year Award from Florida's Attorney General Pam Bondi and Governor Rick Scott, named by United Way Worldwide as a Hero on the Oprah Winfrey Network, for her work, and most recently named by Google as a Google Next-Gen Policy Leader 2017-2022 and 2019 Department of Justice ATF Division Victim Advocate of the Year. She is an expert consultant for the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Title X Clinics and Population Affairs National Human Trafficking Training with Global Centurion and the US Department of Justice having consulted on federal cases. She holds a US Patent in technology and is the creator of grounding breaking software in mental healthcare, case management, AI, and machine learning virtual reality, chosen by Techstars Founders Catalyst Program. Her new book SHAME UNDONE comes out in 2023 and has been optioned for a limited series and a motion picture.