The Sand Trap

description

Between 1975 and 2005, tens of thousands of young children from the poorest corners of the earth were enslaved to meet the demand for child jockeys in the high-stakes sport of competitive camel racing. Boys as young as three years old were scooped off the streets of Dhaka or kidnapped from their homes in Pakistan and trafficked to the United Arab Emirates, where they were forced to train thoroughbred racing camels and participate in weekly races for the amusement of the watching Sheikhs and a televised national audience.

The Sand Trap reveals how slavery, one of humanity's oldest and darkest institutions, persists in one of the wealthiest countries in the modern world. It is a story about unaccountable power, the manipulative influence of PR, and the impotence of poverty.

The film is the work of a small, independent production team. It is being directed by award-winning director Sarah Boston, whose last feature, Cruel Separation, won best documentary at the 2006 Vino Del Mar film festival in Chile. It is roughly based on an academic paper entitled 'Spinning Slavery: The Role of the United States and UNICEF in the Denial of Justice for the Camel Jockeys of the United Arab Emirates' written by human rights activist and academic Nicholas McGeehan. Work began on the project 18 months ago. Interviews with former jockeys and their families have been shot in Bangladesh, and with key figures in the United States and the United Kingdom. With the exception of some travel costs, the project has thus far relied on the kindness and generosity of various individuals.

Funds are now required to finance the completion of the film, primarily to meet editing and post-production costs. We have been fortunate enough to attract the interest of a talented post-production team who have the skills necessary to transform excellent source material and footage into a powerful, moving and hard-hitting documentary.

You can read more about The Sand Trap on www.sandtrapmovie.com or www.facebook.com/sandtrapmovie