According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, 1 in 3 women have been victims of some form of physical violence by an intimate partner within their lifetime. The films below are invaluable resources for facilitating discussion and training towards ending all forms of violence against women.
A BETTER MAN
More than 20 years have passed when filmmaker Attiya Khan asks her ex-boyfriend to meet. Steve abused Attiya every day during the two years they lived together. She finally fled out of fear for her life, and has carried the emotional scars ever since. Now, Attiya wants to talk to Steve-on camera-searching to answer a question that is both simple and incredibly complicated: Will Steve take responsibility? A BETTER MAN follows this bold and radical exploration of restorative justice. Through emotionally raw conversations, Attiya and Steve begin a new recovery process-and illustrate a new paradigm for domestic violence prevention. The film offers a fresh and nuanced look at the healing and revelation that can happen for everyone involved when men take responsibility for their abusive behavior.
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Startling. Intense. The documentary's cleverness is that it resists the roundness of resolution or catharsis, while also acknowledging that Khan and Steve will always remain some kind of asymmetrical unit." -
THE NEW YORKER
Every day, 5 million children in the United States either witness or are victims of domestic violence. In the current system, a judge is more likely to award child custody to the violent father if the mother tries to escape the abusive relationship. In fact, fathers win up to 70 percent of contested cases even when they've been found guilty of domestic or sexual violence against the mother or children. Most people are unaware of the shocking imbalance of power and how hard mothers must fight to protect their children. In this bold and provocative film, mothers, lawyers, and domestic violence experts share intimate personal stories, hard-hitting facts and frank discussions about what is wrong with the system and how to fix it.
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The film raises much-needed awareness of domestic violence and an issue many have never heard of: court licensed abuse." -
THE HUFFINGTON POST
From cutting-edge documentaries that give depth to today's headlines to smart, stunning films that push artistic and intellectual boundaries in all genres, Women Make Movies (WMM), a non-profit feminist social enterprise based in New York, is the world's leading distributor of independent films by and about women. Our Production Assistance Program assists women directors with their productions from concept through completion with fiscal sponsorship, consultations and other technical assistance. We work with creative, ground-breaking films which win awards at festivals around the world. Films and filmmakers we have supported have been nominated for or won Academy® Awards in 12 of the past 13 years.
