Upcoming movie exposes the issue of human trafficking in the trucking industry

July 11, 2022

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An unsavory side of the trucking industry – human trafficking – will be the center of a future motion picture.

Santa Monica, Calif.-based Lionsgate Films has announced their upcoming release “Paradise Highway.” The film follows the journey of a female trucker who is manipulated into participating in a human trafficking operation. Along the way, the movie highlights the important role truckers can have in ending human trafficking.

Academy Award winners Juliette Binoche and Morgan Freeman take the lead in the upcoming film. Lionsgate offers the following synopsis on its website:

“To save the life of her brother, Sally, a truck driver, reluctantly agrees to smuggle illicit cargo: a girl named Leila. As Sally and Leila began a danger-fraught journey across state lines, a dogged FBI operative sets out on their trail, determined to do whatever it takes to terminate a human-trafficking operation – and bring Sally and Leila to safety.”

The film strikes an all-too-familiar chord in the trucking industry, highlighted by the recent tragedy in San Antonio. According to data from the Human Trafficking Institute, 140 new criminal trafficking cases were filed in the federal court system in 2021. Of the 449 victims in those cases, 57% were minors.

Truckers Against Trafficking is one organization looking to raise awareness about and put an end to human trafficking. Kylla Lanier, senior director of public sector engagement with TAT, says that films like “Paradise Highway” can help their cause.

“It’s important to have stories and films that present human trafficking in a non-sensationalized way in order to keep it at the forefront of our consciousness as a society,” Lanier told Land Line. “This helps us to stay vigilant in looking for it and reporting it.”

While Hollywood portrayals can often be over-the-top, Lanier says that films like “Paradise Highway” can help raise awareness about the horrors of human trafficking.

“A lot of Hollywood films made about human trafficking sensationalize the issue and actually cause more harm than good because of how trafficking and trafficking victims are portrayed,” she said. “However, when done well, the stories movies tell move us into action; the emotion of seeing the pain and understanding the horror of this crime and its impact on its victims shocks our systems, and we want to right those wrongs. It keeps this issue in the forefront of our minds, and that is wildly important.”

Lanier commended the filmmakers for offering a more realistic glimpse into the world of human trafficking, and the toll it takes on victims.

“‘Paradise Highway’ has not sensationalized the issue which is commendable. So often the questions are asked, ‘Why don’t they run? Why don’t they ask for help?’ We appreciate that this film addressed some of the reasons why trafficking victims don’t leave,” Lanier said. “More often than physical restraints, it is the fear, psychological chains and trauma bonds that keep victims trapped. And ultimately, sex trafficking would cease to exist without the demand for commercial sex. No buyer=no victim=no sex trafficking. ‘Paradise Highway’ spoke that truth, and we couldn’t agree more!”

The movie will be released in the U.S. on July 29 at select theaters, as well as streaming on-demand. The DVD and Blu-ray release will follow on Sept. 6. An international release date has not been announced. You can watch the trailer for the film below.

To learn more about human trafficking and how the transportation industry is combating it, visit www.truckersagainsttrafficking.org. If you see or suspect human trafficking, report it immediately by calling 911 or the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888. LL