The Jammed is named Australian Movie of the Year by Catholic Film Office

The jury of the Australian Catholic Film Office (ACFO) has awarded its 2007 Film of the Year to Dee McLachlan’s “The Jammed.”

Tracing the story of three women brought to Australia under false pretexts for sexual exploitation, The Jammed reveals not only the horror of modern human trafficking and slavery but also peels back the complex moral layers involved for everyone, including governments.

Director of the office and jury chair, Jesuit Priest, Fr Richard Leonard said, “Last year was one of the strongest years in many years for Australian films with The Jammed, The Home Song Stories and Romulus, My Father among the best.”

“The jury felt that The Jammed was a singularly courageous piece of cinema. Even though the extremely violent world this film portrays means many people would not want to see it, that does not allow us to ignore the sex trade in women and children occurring in our nation.”

It would be hard to think of a social issue upon which the whole church is presently speaking with such clarity. Pope Benedict XVI’s statement on human trafficking for sex on 28^th October 2005, his message to mark World Day of Migrants and Refugees, and the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Migrants and Itinerants have strenuously   calls for all Catholics, Christians and people of good will to do everything they can to counter the causes and the evil results of human trafficking. In Australia, Catholic Religious Australia has been at the vanguard of lobbying, education and working with victims in regard to the international trafficking of women and children.

“The Jammed plays the role of raising our consciousness on this issue. This uncompromising and confronting film illuminates a dark, tragic side of Australian society (one replicated in many countries across the world), and thus makes a significant contribution to increasing people’s awareness of an under-recognised but important issue of faith and justice,” Fr Leonard concluded.