Selling Innocence
| Selling Innocence | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Pierre Gang |
| Written by | John Moffatt (story) John Moffatt (teleplay) |
| Starring | Mimi Rogers J. R. Bourne Sarah Lind Tamara Hope |
| Release date(s) | 2 July 2005 |
| Running time | 88 min |
| Country | United States/Canada |
| Language | English |
Selling Innocence is a made-for-TV movie that shows and condemns the exploitation of teens on the web today.
The movie is a coproduction between, Edmonton based television production company, ImagiNation, Montreal's Cite-Amerique, and CTV, for their line of TV-movies, collectively known as the CTV Signature Series. It made its broadcast premiere on July 2, 2005, on the Canadian Television network, CTV. Selling Innocence, was also broadcast on US based Lifetime.
[edit] Plot
Mia Sampson (Sarah Lind), a somewhat unpopular girl, is approached at the mall to become a model. Even though she thinks modeling is shallow, she thinks it will be a better way to earn money than working for a sushi restaurant and goes to the agency. She poses for photographs which to be displayed on an Internet website for "members only," supposedly so she can be scouted for modeling jobs. As Mia's membership goes up, she begins feeling uncomfortable and also receives disturbing messages from a subscriber, Gabriel. However, she continues to take shots and even participates in live video chats with the gentlemen. Too late, Mia realizes that she is working for a pornography site and goes to a group called webwatch to uncover the operation. However, since the agency isn't doing anything illegal, the police can't do anything.
Mia is disgusted and even though she has earned over 30,000 dollars, she quits. Her boss, however, still has full legal rights to her photos and tells her he will keep the website up, as she is the most popular "model." He does offer, though, to take down the site if Mia will do a 15 minute live webshow. His clients have offered a lot of money to see it. Mia accepts, as a man at the webwatch station has told her that it will be the evidence the police need to take down the operation. Mia begins the show, but when the police don't show up she cannot finish and runs to the webwatch station. The man at the webwatch station is angry that she didn't finish: he is Gabriel. He tries to force her to finish the show for him privately while he records it, but Mia tries to escape. Luckily, Mia's mom and boyfriend show up as he is attacking her.
The film ends with Mia working at a fast food restaurant, her safety restored, the "agency" shut down, and Gabriel behind bars. However, the ending shot shows a guy going through old photos that Mia had done- thus proving what her boss states to her that no matter whether she quit or not, that girl she became will ALWAYS be out there.
[edit] Cast
- Mimi Rogers - Abby Sampson
- J. R. Bourne - Malcolm Lowe
- Sarah Lind - Mia Sampson
- Tamara Hope - Chelsea Burns
- Mike Lobel - Justin Johnson
- Joanne Kelly - Simone
- Fred Ewanuick - James
- Charisse Baker - Jen Wilson
- Alexz Johnson - Angel
- Emma Paetz - Stephanie Walker
- Margherita Donato - Bridget
- Nicky Pugh - Naomi
- Patrick Gilmore - Karl
- Jonathan Lachlan-Stewart - Jock in Cafeteria
