The Seventh Annual Media That Matters Festival is now up. Sixteen short films have been selected by a jury, with topics ranging from Egypt's garbage collectors to rebuilding after Hurricane Katrina to transgendered youth. The films are available online, at screenings throughout the country, and on DVD.
Documentary photographer Mimi Chakarova looks into the lives of young East European women trafficked into the sex trade, in "The Price of Sex", the debut story for PBS's flashPOINT series. It is estimated that between 200,000 and 400,000 have been trafficked from Moldova, to be exploited as sex workers, factory workers, maids, and other laborers. In an interview about the story, Chakarova says, "I hope that it will enable people to see this story from a different angle. I hope that the sadness it leaves will push people to find out more about what can be done." PBS introduced the flashPOINT program in January 2007, as part of their FRONTLINE/World series, which also includes documentary videos.