I watched a film last night that was probably the best ever I’ve seen in years. Directed by musician Justin Dillon, CALL+RESPONSE is a rockumenatry that delves deep into the world’s 27 million dirtiest secrets: there are more slaves today than ever before in human history.

CALL+RESPONSE goes deep undercover where slavery thrives … from the child brothels of Cambodia to the slave brick kilns of rural India. CALL+RESPONSE reveals that in 2007, slave traders made more money than Google, Nike and Starbucks combined and the industry is only set to explode as trafficking becomes the fastest growing criminal enterprise on the planet.

Wonderfully edited, and beautifully lit, this harrowing story of the millions languishing under slavery today will hit you square between the eyes and the almost complete subjugation of the trafficked victims interviewed on screen will leave you in tears. You’ll be guided through the issues, complexities and obvious questions by the brilliant minds of Madeleine Albright, Daryl Hannah, Julia Ormond, Ashley Judd, Nicholas Kristof, and many other prominent political and cultural figures who offer first hand accounts of this 21st century tragedy.

What I especially enjoyed was that the serious themes were woven into the live-filmed soundtrack featuring the emancipation songs of Grammy-winning and critically acclaimed artists such as Moby, Natasha Bedingfield, Cold War Kids, Matisyahu, Imogen Heap, Talib Kweli, Five For Fighting, Switchfoot, members of Nickel Creek and Tom Petty’s Heartbreakers, Rocco Deluca.

Then there’s Princeton University’s Dr. Cornel West, who eloquently connects the call and response songs of the American slave fields to the popular music we listen to today, and offers this connection as a rallying cry for the modern abolitionist movement currently brewing.

Bravo Justin Dillon, this film is worth an Oscar and it’s a call, if any there was, for us all to get off our butts and make a difference using the skills and talent we already possess. The time is now. www.callandresponse.com.