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Benjamin Nolot is an American filmmaker and the CEO and founder of
Exodus Cry Exodus Cry is an American Christian non-profit advocacy organization for helping sex trafficking victims as well as seeking the abolition of the legal commercial sex industry, including pornography, strip clubs, and sex work, as well as illeg ...
, a Christian social activist group focused on the issue of
human trafficking Human trafficking is the trade of humans for the purpose of forced labour, sexual slavery, or commercial sexual exploitation for the trafficker or others. This may encompass providing a spouse in the context of forced marriage, or the extrac ...
which has expressed opposition to the "entire global sex industry, including
prostitution Prostitution is the business or practice of engaging in Sex work, sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, n ...
,
pornography Pornography (often shortened to porn or porno) is the portrayal of sexual subject matter for the exclusive purpose of sexual arousal. Primarily intended for adults,
, and stripping". Nolot has also been involved with an
International House of Prayer The International House of Prayer (IHOPKC) is a charismatic evangelical Christian movement and missions organization based in Kansas City, Missouri, and the nearby suburb of Grandview that focuses on the inerrancy of scripture, and biblical pra ...
ministry which is based in
Sacramento, California ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento C ...
.


Career

Nolot has written, directed, and produced several films. His directing and producing credits include: '' Nefarious: Merchant of Souls'' (2011), ''Liberated: The New Sexual Revolution'' (2017), ''Spring Break Emcees'' (2017), ''Seattle’s Bikini Baristas'' (2019), and ''Existence'' (2020). He wrote ''Nefarious'', ''Liberated'', and ''Seattle’s Bikini Baristas''. Nolot also acted in the short film ''Existence''.


''Nefarious: Merchant of Souls''

Nolot wrote, directed, produced, and
narrated A narrative, story, or tale is any account of a series of related events or experiences, whether nonfictional (memoir, biography, news report, documentary, travelogue, etc.) or fictional ( fairy tale, fable, legend, thriller, novel, etc.). N ...
''Nefarious: Merchant of Souls'', a documentary film about
human trafficking Human trafficking is the trade of humans for the purpose of forced labour, sexual slavery, or commercial sexual exploitation for the trafficker or others. This may encompass providing a spouse in the context of forced marriage, or the extrac ...
. He also conducted the interviews in the film, speaking with such people as a police officer and a
pimp Procuring or pandering is the facilitation or provision of a prostitute or other sex worker in the arrangement of a sex act with a customer. A procurer, colloquially called a pimp (if male) or a madam (if female, though the term pimp has still ...
. Other scenes depict Nolot doing things like chasing a
pedophile Pedophilia ( alternatively spelt paedophilia) is a psychiatric disorder in which an adult or older adolescent experiences a primary or exclusive sexual attraction to prepubescent children. Although girls typically begin the process of puberty a ...
out of a town in which he was trying to purchase the right to sexually abuse a child. The film was distributed by Exodus Cry. ''Nefarious'' was Nolot's film debut. Filming started in 2007. Nolot travelled to 19 different countries to collect the film's content. These
filming location A filming location is a place where some or all of a film or television series is produced, in addition to or instead of using sets constructed on a movie studio backlot or soundstage. In filmmaking, a location is any place where a film crew wil ...
s included countries in the Middle East, Europe, North America, and Asia. Nolot attested to having found producing the film difficult because of the subject matter; he stated that "there is not a day that goes by that I am not mindful of the horrific tragedies we uncovered". He further said that he did not make the film in order to make money or gain fame, but rather, to rouse people to action against human trafficking, an issue he finds both personal and important. Dan Preston of ''Godculture Magazine'' praised Nolot's writing and directing of the film. Nolot said that the purpose of the film is "to draw people's attention to the issue, but also to inspire them in terms of what they can be doing... to take a stand against this injustice". At the 2011 California Film Awards, ''Nefarious'' made Nolot the Grand Winner in the Best First-Time Documentary category. At the 2012 Kingdomwood Christian Film Festival, Nolot was named Best Director.


''Liberated: The New Sexual Revolution''

Nolot directed, wrote, and produced this 2017
Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...
documentary. The film documents college spring breakers in Panama City, Florida, commenting on the exploitation of female bodies and the porn industry’s impact on millennial hook-up culture. ''Liberated'' toured in the
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
, the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
, and
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
. However, the film was criticized for its "painting of casual sex as inherently disempowering and the framing of sex as the most sacred act in the world", and has been described as "a Christian documentary disguising itself with no mention of its religious bias".


''Seattle's Bikini Baristas''

Nolot directed, wrote, and produced the short film ''Seattle's Bikini Baristas''. The documentary, released in 2019, was presented by Magic Lantern Pictures.


Controversy

In 2020, actress Melissa McCarthy and
HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...
withdrew their support from Exodus Cry after learning that Nolot had expressed "virulent views on social media about
abortion Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. An abortion that occurs without intervention is known as a miscarriage or "spontaneous abortion"; these occur in approximately 30% to 40% of pregn ...
rights and
gay marriage Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same sex or gender. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 33 countries, with the most recent being Mexico, constituting ...
."


References


External links


Exodus Cry Official WebsiteNefarious Documentary Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nolot, Benjamin 1976 births Living people 21st-century evangelicals American evangelicals American human rights activists American women's rights activists Child crime victim advocates Children's rights activists Sexual abuse victim advocates Film directors from Missouri American male screenwriters Film producers from Missouri People from Grandview, Missouri American documentary film directors American documentary film producers English-language film directors Activists from Missouri