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Film Screening & Panel Discussion: Joy
Location: Central European University Vienna, Quellenstraße 51, Wien - Favoriten
About event
Film screening and discussion - Joy (Director: Sudabeh Mortezai, 2018)
Joy follows Nigerian women trafficked into sexual exploitation in Austria, revealing both the violence of exploitation and the fight for autonomy within unjust systems. Directed by Austrian Iranian filmmaker Sudabeh Mortezai, the award-winning film raises urgent questions on human rights, migration, and gender.
Following the screening, a panel of experts (NGOs, UN, and academics) will discuss how trafficking is addressed in Austria and beyond-exploring policies, practical measures, and ways societies can respond more effectively.
Join us after the panel for an informal networking reception with refreshments, where you will have the chance to meet and talk directly with the speakers.
Venue: CEU Auditorium (Quellenstrasse 51, 1100 Vienna)
Program:
17:00-19:00 film screening (Austrian film with the theme of Gender, Migration and Human Trafficking: Joy)
19:00-20:00 Panel discussion with experts:
Heather Komenda and (IOM Regional Office Vienna)
Katie Klaffenböck (IOM Country Office Austria)
Tamara Schmidt (LEFÖ - Intervention Centre for Trafficked Women (IBF)
Manfred Buchner (MEN VIA: Assistance for trafficked men)
Katharina Beclin, University of Vienna, Faculty of Law, Department of Criminology
Moderator: Rohit Sarma, a PhD candidate, CEU Department of Legal
20:00-21:00: Informal networking reception with refreshments
About the Director of Joy
Sudabeh Mortezai (b. 1968, Ludwigsburg) is a producer, director, and scriptwriter who grew up in Tehran and Vienna. She studied theatre and film in Vienna and later completed UCLA’s Film, TV, and Digital Media programme. Mortezai has worked as a film festival programmer, managed Vienna’s Filmcasino, and held production roles on international documentaries. Before Joy, she directed several shorts and the feature-length documentary Children of the Prophet.
Trigger Warning
This film contains scenes of sexual violence, which some viewers may find distressing.
Bios of Speakers
Katharina Beclin is an Assistant Professor of Criminology at the Institute of Criminal Law and Criminology, University of Vienna. Her research focuses on gender dimensions of criminal law and criminology, with particular attention to sexual assault, domestic violence, stalking, labour exploitation, and human trafficking. She places strong emphasis on the practical application of her work, collaborating closely with victim protection organisations and serving as coordinator of the Austrian NGO platform against exploitation and human trafficking.
Manfred Buchner is a Clinical and Health Psychologist, and the director of MEN VIA, representing MEN VIA in the Austrian TASK FORCE against Human Trafficking and in other working groups. Active in this field since 2015, and with male victims of different forms of violence within as part of the counselling center for men staff since 2009. He is also a lecturer and teacher on the subjects of male victims of trafficking in human beings (TBH) and on trauma-sensitive assistance for victims of violence during legal proceedings and speak on different conferences and events.
Heather Komenda is a migrant protection professional with 20 years of experience in protection and assistance. She joined IOM in 2004 and has worked in South East Asia, East Africa and the Horn, the Middle East and North Africa, and IOM HQ in Geneva. Heather is the Protection Specialist for Europe and Central Asia. Heather’s specializations include protection of victims of trafficking and migrant victims of violence, exploitation and abuse. She has extensive experience in supporting development of anti-trafficking frameworks and structures and in providing technical assistance to partners in government, civil society, and law enforcement. She holds a Master of Arts Degree in Political Science from McGill University and a Bachelor of Arts (Hons.) Degree in Political Science from the University of Manitoba.
Katie Klaffenböck is the Head of Counter-Trafficking, IOM Austria. She has been working in the area of counter-trafficking for over ten years and is responsible for all counter-trafficking activities of IOM Austria. Before joining IOM, Katie served as a consultant on migrant smuggling at UNODC. She has a bachelor's degree in Political Science and a master's degree in European Union Studies.
Lena Riemer is an Assistant Professor at the Legal Department of Central European University. She has studied and worked on migration law in Germany, South Africa, the USA, Mexico and Colombia in academia and practice. At CEU she teaches classes related to human rights, refugee and migration law as well as gender and migration.
Rohit Sarma, PhD (SJD) Candidate in the Department of Legal Studies at Central European University (CEU), researches comparative citizenship and migration in India and the USA. Prior to his doctoral studies, he practiced law in India, focusing on anti-discrimination, migration, and human rights.
Tamara Schmidt is the Interim Director of LEFÖ – Intervention Centre for Trafficked Women (IBF). A lawyer with a Master’s degree in Human Rights and Democratization, she brings extensive experience in providing legal advice to people in the context of migration and asylum. In one of her previous roles as Deputy Head of Office at BBU GmbH, she was responsible, among other things, for detention counseling and legal representation of trafficking survivors before the Federal Administrative Court. Her work focuses on human rights-based legal counseling, particularly at the intersection of gender justice, forced migration, and structural violence. Her professional path is marked by a clear human rights focus, legal expertise, and a deep understanding of the complex realities faced by women affected by violence and migration.