You are aware that slavery still exists in the world, right?

Too often, this basic fact escapes Americans despite the fact it exists to this day even in this country.

It's true.

Child soldiers. Sex industry. Forced labor. Human trafficking.

It's real and it continues to exist all around the world, including the United States.

We're not talking a few people or a few hundred or a few thousand...we're talking MILLIONS of people globally.

"Veiled Commodity," the first in a planned series of three shorts films to address slavery, is about these people and their stories that too often remain untold.

Employing a variety of design and animation techniques, co-writer/directors Dickson Chow and Vinh Chung have developed a film that deals with slavery's past and present in a way that is visually arresting and intellectually convicting. Originally designed as a gift to a non-profit organization by Dickson, "Veiled Commodity" has become a popular festival addition with its excellent blend of animation, social insight and storytelling.

The series' next two shorts are due to go into production soon and will be dealing with sex slavery and child soldiers. Should they be even half as powerful as "Veiled Commodity," they will be must-see short films.

With a musical score featuring Julie Belle, Daley Hake and Sal Rangel, virtually every aspect of "Veiled Commodity" is designed to bring home the devastation of slavery and the ways in which it still exists without resorting to unnecessary histrionics.