Real to Reel Film International Film Festival returns this August

The Cleveland County Arts Council is pleased to announce that on August 9th, the 24th Annual “Real to Reel International Film Festival” will once again open its doors to embrace filmmakers and film lovers alike. The four day event runs August 9 – 12. The organization’s goal is to showcase thought-provoking films and offer a venue where movie lovers who appreciate independent vision can celebrate this unique art form.

“The mission of the Real to Reel International Film Festival is to offer a forum for independent filmmakers from around the world to showcase their talents and expose the works of these artists to our region,” said

President Shearra Miller

Viewers can expect to find a great lineup of films from all over the world, a chance to view Q&A’s with many of the filmmakers and other fun events. For more information about this year’s festival, contact Violet Dukes at the Cleveland County Arts Council by email violet.arth@ccartscouncil.org or phone 704-484-2787. You can also visit the film festival website at http://www.realtoreelfest. com.

By Loretta Cozart

On November 23, 2022, Madalina Cojocari was last seen getting off her school bus in Cornelius. She didn’t return to school and her parents did not report her missing for about a month, until December 15. They have since been charged with failure to report their missing child.

This story of this missing Cornelius girl brings the reality of exploited children to our doorsteps. Last week, unsealed search warrants revealed the young girl was likely spotted on surveillance videos in Beach Mountain, NC on December 16, the day after her parents reported her missing.

Madalina is now 12years old, and she is not the only missing child from our area. A prominent case in Cleveland County is the story of Asha Degree, the 9-year-old Shelby girl who disappeared in 2000. But there are more children missing. On October 11, 2022, Kamiya Hunt went missing in Shelby. And Jontrey Thompson of Belmont disappeared on December 1, 2022. In the United States, each year there are more than 400,000 children reported missing.

According to the National Human Trafficking Hotline, since it was formed , 2,050 cases have been reported in NC. Of those, 5,986 victims were identified. In 2021 alone, 223 cases were reported, and 340 victims were involved. Cases can involve multiple victims.

According to NC Center for Missing Persons, in Cleveland County there are currently 168 missing persons reported. Of those, 111 are juveniles and 57 are adults. The report does not show active cases, just cases reported. As of July 23, the NC Center for missing persons reports the total of missing persons across our state of 8,605. Of those, 7,928 cases have been closed. And of those 7,928 cases reported, 5,495 involved juveniles. There are now 677 active cases of missing persons across the state, but those numbers are not broken down by age. Here are the numbers of reported missing juveniles in NC between 2015 and 2022:

• 2022 9,039

• 2021 8,419

• 2020 9,135

• 2019 9,204

• 2018 9,142

• 2017 10,684

• 2016 10,575

• 2015 10,475

The N.C. Center for Missing Persons serves as the clearinghouse for information regarding missing children and adults; and since its creation in 1985, the Center has worked with local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies to assist in locating missing persons and reunite them with their families.

If a child is missing, family and friends should immediately notify local law enforcement. If a child is abducted, time is valuable.

Go to The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children more tips on what to do if your child is missing.

• File a police or sheriff’s report. Include information on where the child was last known to be, as well as names of the individual’s family and friends.

• Provide officers with a recent photo as soon as possible. Law enforcement can immediately enter child abduction cases into the FBI’s National Crime Information Center. The center allows officers nationwide to share information about endangered children, increasing the chance that the child will be found.

• Request that law enforcement put out a Be On the Look Out (BOLO) Bulletin.

• Ask for an organized search with the use of tracking dogs if possible.

• Limit access to your home until law enforcement investigators arrive and have collected evidence. Do not touch or remove anything from your child’s room or your home. There may be clues to the whereabouts of your child.

• Give the investigator all facts and circumstances related to disappearance including what efforts have already been made.

• Write a detailed description of clothing worn by the child and any personal items your child had at the time of his or her disappearance. Note any birthmarks, scars, tattoos, or mannerisms, and supply any photo that may show the marks. Give this information to the investigator.

• Make copies of recent photos for law enforcement, news media, the N.C. Center for Missing Persons, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and any volunteer groups aiding in the search.

• Designate one person to answer your telephone. Keep a pad of paper by the phone to jot down names, telephone numbers, date and time of calls and the purpose of the call. You may want to get law enforcement to put a tracer on your phone and get an answering machine that will tape calls. You may also want to add a caller ID. If you do not have a cell phone, you may want to get one so that you can be reached at any time. For cases that are older than 30 days, help officers locate dental and medical records.

Be aware of goings on in the community. Have you noticed a homeless child or a child asking for food or showing signs of abuse? Have you noticed odd behaviors between a child and an adult? If you see something, say something. Contact local law enforcement and let them investigate. It only takes one person to notice and make that call.

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