With fictional child, a fight for millions

Friday, April 11, 2008
By DANIELLE FURFARO, Staff writer
Times Union (Albany, New York)

When Guy Jacobson found himself standing among a gaggle of young Cambodian girls, all aggressively trying to sell him sex, the purpose of his life changed.

The New York City attorney and investment banker, who was on sabbatical and traveling the world, knew he couldn't simply go back to his job and pretend nothing had happened. He had to take a stand.

So Jacobson began a film project to highlight the plight of those girls, who he would learn were among more than 2 million children working in the sex trade across the globe.

That film is "Holly," a powerful fictional tale of an expat American (Ron Livingston) who tries to save one Cambodian girl from the clutches of sexual assault at the hands of tourists. The film also stars Chris Penn in one of his final performances before his 2006 death.

Tonight and Saturday, Jacobson will answer audience questions after 6:35 p.m. screenings of the film at Spectrum Theatres in Albany. This week, he spoke by phone with the Times Union.

Q: What got you interested in making this film?

A: I was on sabbatical backpacking around the world for two years. About six years ago, I was walking down the street in Cambodia. All of the sudden, I was surrounded by girls who were very aggressively soliciting me for prostitution. One of the little girls said, "I yum yum very good. If not, my mamma boxing me," meaning she'll get beat up if she doesn't get any business. I started paying more attention to this issue, and realized it is much more prevalent. I was horrified to find out this is not an isolated thing, but a global epidemic affecting over 2 million kids, some as young as a year old. This is happening from Albany to New York City, to every city in every country in the world.

Q: Do you have a history of activism on other issues?

A: I've been involved in activism on a variety of issues all my life. The thing is, you have to, I believe, take a stand even when it's not your people who are affected. If someone wants to discriminate against bald lawyers from New York City, I'll object, but that's not the only time you should call foul. When you see this kind of horrible crime against humanity, you have to decide if you are going to take a stand or not.

Q: Why did you decide to make a movie, especially a fiction film, about this issue?

A: There's not anyone who doesn't know that there's underage prostitution. If they say they do, they are either very naive or lying. But I didn't know the extent, how many kids are affected and their ages. I thought if I don't know, let me assume that other people don't know. Mass media has a power to raise awareness that other forms may not. So, I thought, "Let me make an honest film from the girl's point of view." This girl represents millions of others. It honestly deals with this global epidemic. It will get a lot of people touched by it and encourage them to get involved.

Q: How do you think this film can actually make a difference in the lives of these children?

A: We are using this film as a tool in conjunction with anti-sexual assault organizations. We brought a platform to allow them to do their work better. In Albany, we are working with the New York Coalition Against Sexual Assault. The best thing that can be done to decrease the problem is to go after the demand. I don't believe you can go to someone and tell them, "You know, this is wrong." They already know what they are doing is wrong. We created practical action items based on law and economics. We launched a global campaign called Red Light Children that works on what laws need to be passed that are not on the books, how to qualify current laws and how to enforce law and allocate resources.

Danielle Furfaro can be reached at 454-5097 or by e-mail at dfurfaro@timesunion.com.

Writer's talk
Guy Jacobson, writer and producer of "Holly," will speak at Spectrum Theatres.
When: After the 6:35 p.m. showings tonight and Saturday
Where: Spectrum 8 Theatres, 290 Delaware Ave., Albany
Information: 449-8995 or http://www.spectrum8.com