We are moving stories

“Colombia is a country that experienced a brutal 50-years long civil war. When I went there for the first time, I met a lot of Colombian women who were in a very bad situation - they lived in slums, had no jobs, were abused. But they didn’t want to give up. They were full of energy and responsibility for their families. Then I decided to make this film.”

“I am hoping that audiences will see that this is the story of a victim; a victim of a terrible and vicious crime. A crime against her body, her mind and her soul. A victim who has had irreversible damage done to her life – damage that her perpetrator’s time in prison won’t erase. A victim who through her own strength and resilience became a survivor. I am hoping audiences will first of all have a better understanding of how rape culture engulfs our society so much so that we have become desensitised and indifferent, and then to start looking for it – seeing it and smelling it and demanding that this culture be erased from our society.”

“I’ve had a female audience member leave the theatre yelling because of a very graphic scene. I wasn’t offended by any means though! It meant we grabbed someone. We made someone feel to the extent of her ability

It’s tough because the film is about a woman who is raped, so learning the balance of truth vs. sensitivity has been a valuable process I’ll take into all of my work, but it’s also frustrating because my whole life I’ve told what I can and can’t do based on my perceived sexual orientation, my looks, my whiteness (I’m mixed Newfie and Trinidadian of Indian descent). I’m getting to a point where I say, screw it, calm the noise and follow your gut.”

“Head Space explores the topic of single mothers balancing their children and social lives as well as violence against women. The film engages with the myth of a “gray area” surrounding rape, a recurrent topic in today’s society. There are absolutely no actions, words, or fashion garments that invite or justify sexual or physical assault. As a female filmmaker and aspiring cinematographer, I believe I offer a unique perspective.”

“the choice to make Solitary was deeply person for all of us. Looking at statistics of rape and sexual assault makes it clear that almost everyone has been affected by this issue.”

“I was stuck on the 405 freeway in LA in 2012 when I heard on the radio a man who was running for US Senate in Missouri. He was saying that a woman couldn’t get pregnant from rape because she had a way to shut down her body. I was really happy to be stuck in traffic, because I started yelling at the radio, cursing and saying, “The Serbs didn’t get that memo!” My next thought was: “That’s it. I’m going to tell a story that takes ‘sex’ out of ‘sex crimes’ and puts rape where it belongs: an act of power, torture, humiliation.’ But I also wanted to tell a story of what to do about it. That’s how I decided to tell the story of the first time rape was prosecuted as an international crime of war.”

“This film is incredibly important to watch because it is inspired by true events. And the women, men, and people affected by sexual assault - 1 in 3 people in the world - are not receiving the help they need.”

“As a director, I made this film because the subject matter was intriguing and challenging. Black Widows is a dark comedy that straddles the line between serious social issues between men and women and the strength and humor in female friendships.”

“The film is a black comedy thriller. That game-changing weekend, we found ourselves fantasizing, entertaining ourselves improvising ways we’d punish rapists if we had the opportunity, usually with rather violent results that had us rolling with laughter at the same time. It was extremely therapeutic! Audience reactions, and their faces and enthusiasm after screenings tell me the film has that effect on them as well.”

“We want this film to help create a safe space for communities; for survivors to know that they are not alone. It is important for women, trans and non-binary folks to understand that we have community and support in one another.”

“About six years ago, I was at an anti-sex trafficking event in Hollywood, hosted by AnnaLynne McCord, who’s an old friend of mine. That night, she told the story on which Milkshake Girls is based — in 2008 in Toledo, Ohio, two teen cousins were lured into a stranger’s car in broad daylight outside of a milkshake store under false pretenses and forced into sex slavery. Until that moment, I had believed sex trafficking to be almost exclusively a developing world problem.

I have since learned that an estimated 100,000 - 300,000 American minors are enslaved in sex trafficking inside the United States, and that California is one of the most problematic trafficking states in the country, downtown LA being an illicit sex trade mecca.”

“My hope is this film empowers women, or anyone who feels helpless, to harness their inner strength against all odds. This film has that message and gift waiting for anyone who watches. Miranda Raison’s Sara is a hero and an inspiring character.”

“The project was made at a point during an increasing complex climate of hardening public opinion, compassion fatigue and moral self-questioning. As such the project was designed so the audience had the space and information to re-evaluate through an experiential process what it would actually ‘feel’ like to be in such a position where hope and trust were exploited to perpetuate a multi-billion dollar industry.”

“I would like people to walk away with a more positive perception of refugees. I’d like more discussion to be had about the violent sexual abuse of women, and the fact that the rape of countless women is being used as a method of ethnic cleansing. I’d like societies to become increasing compassionate, empathic and understanding to those displaced and seeking refuge.”

“The story is really personal to me. I was 19 when I wrote it so I felt like it might be my last chance to write a film about young women on the cusp of adulthood. It deals with this idea of the harrowing and unwanted male gaze and I liked to write a story where the women take action on that and fight against it for some form of justice.”

“It crystallizes in one marital exchange how painful it can be to exist as a woman in the world, while offering the audience a lifeline of dark (very dark) humor to survive the uncomfortable experience.”

“But it’s not all clown giggles and fake blood over here—this film was cathartic for me after having been through sexual assault. I wanted to make a female-revenge film and so these two ideas merged into one film and now we have Haunt :)”

“The film is based on an event that took place in my life. Making the film was my kind of therapy. It’s supposed to lay the cards on the table about the abruptness and ugliness and gray areas surrounding sexual assault.”

“Many of my friends have in some way been sexually harassed, abused or raped – I can probably count on one hand those who have not experienced anything like it. I believe this is an international problem, and I hope our film can start a conversation about the issue.”

“Unfortunately like many others, I am a victim of sexual assault. It has become such a huge issue in present day and I felt like creating this film was more important to do now than ever. The majority of our cast and crew have been victims of sexual assault or sexual abuse and they all volunteered their time to make our film happen to spread awareness.”

“Women are often told to avoid rape by following certain rules: limiting their movements, not going out without a male companion, always appearing chaste, and remaining vigilant, for example. These rape myths are nothing but directives given to women, dictating their behavior and restricting their freedom of movement.”

“We wanted to make a statement about the current sexual assault crisis and to try and get a conversation started around the notion of consent and to debunk some of the myths about rape victims. We started off by thinking of the worst possible scenario that could exist and landed on a society that has actually deemed rape a necessary facet of everyday life.”

“Melissa’s story is one of resilience: She is a survivor of rape, human trafficking and substance abuse. She was able to move past addiction and onward to raise her kids, receive an education, work full time and run a Chicago-based NGO. Her organization is also about community and grassroots-level advocacy.”

“Our film deals with young women and survivors of trafficking overcoming trauma to restore their lives, juxtaposed to the solar energy and water filtration system that brings sustained electricity and clean water so the girls have greater consistencies in their growth into a mainstream, safe life.”