Originally used by social activist and community organizer Tarana Burke, the term “me too” has become prolific in recent months, following the many exposés of sexual abuse allegations made against various public male figures. What was already all-too apparent to women — that the continuum of sexual violence, and the environment that nurtures it, is endemic in society — is finally starting to dawn upon more men. Now freshly empowered, women (and men) across the globe are speaking out about their experiences. The following crowdfunding picks highlight how sexual violence is a global issue; these stories span five different continents, and each has a unique approach to the subject matter.
Hailing from Mexico is the short film “Permanent Daylight,” a narrative account of a young woman struggling in the aftermath of her sexual assault, and attempting to hunt down her perpetrator.
“Survivor In White” faces many challenges in its journey to chronicle the plight of Yezidi women in Iraqi Kurdistan, who are survivors of the ISIS-waged genocide campaign. The documentary follows Kurdish conflict photojournalist Seivan Salim and her work, which endeavors to help these women.
Another doc in the works is “Nevertheless,” which focuses on sexual harassment in the American workplace. This wide-ranging documentary will look at the social, legal, and historical aspects of sexual assault to explain why it is so prevalent, and expose how it has been allowed to thrive.
In the UK, the short “The Monstrous Feminine” presents a feminist horror approach to the subject of sexual assault, capitalizing on the horror genre’s ability to expose and dissect societal issues.
And lastly, another documentary is being developed in South Africa, its working title “#MeToo” succinctly conveying its mission: to give survivors a voice, and to explain how sexual assault is so easily enabled.
Here’s our latest round of women-created and women-centric crowdfunding picks.
“Permanent Daylight” (Short) — Co-Written and Co-Directed by Gisela de la Rosa
This short film from young filmmakers in Mexico aims to open up the dialogue surrounding sexual assault with a story from a survivor’s perspective. Co-writer/director Gisela de la Rosa and her filmmaking partner, Axel Gutierrez, spent nine months carefully developing their story, which follows a 20-year-old woman who has recently been sexually abused, and is in search of her perpetrator.
It’s promising seeing young, independent filmmakers approaching the topic with earnestness, and wanting to contribute to the much-needed conversation surrounding the subject. Demonstrating their determination, de la Rosa and Gutierrez are taking on a huge number of roles between them in their desire to get this ambitious project made, with a planned eight-day shoot across 20 locations in the city of San Luis Potosi.
You can help them tell the story of “Permanent Daylight” by contributing to its Indiegogo campaign.
“Survivor In White” (Documentary) — Directed by Kristen Blalock
This hugely ambitious documentary project follows Kurdish conflict photojournalist Seivan Salim in the midst of her mission to shine a spotlight on the Yezidi women survivors of ISIS’ weaponized rape, enslavement, and genocide in Iraqi Kurdistan. The all-female crew will document Salim’s work in refugee camps throughout the region, with the aim of exposing the overwhelming lack of resources and support the Yezidi women receive.
“We want to encourage direct action for the Yezidi women and people altogether,” states the project’s producer, Amy Wellersdick, on the campaign page. “We want to inspire citizens, NGOs, and world leaders to take action about the particularly cruel fate women face in conflict, and most importantly, to create better policies that prevent these crimes from happening again.”
The idea behind the documentary formed when director Kristen Blalock became fascinated by “the idea of a photojournalist using her art to help women initiate the healing process of going from victim to survivor.” Blalock brings an educational background in Conflict Resolution and women’s rights to the project, and — most importantly — her team is committed to portraying the survivors without re-victimizing them.
Visit “Survivor In White’s” Indiegogo campaign page to learn more about how you can back the documentary.
“Nevertheless” (Documentary) — Directed by Sarah Moshman
Focusing specifically on the American workplace, “Nevertheless” aims to shine a critical light on the environments that allow sexual assault and harassment to flourish, exploring the historical, social, and legal aspects of the issue. Director Sarah Moshman brings her experience to this, her third feature-length documentary, which she believes “has the potential to inform the public, inspire change within workplaces, and bring us together as a society to work towards fixing this endemic problem.”
Currently in early production, the film features interviews with figures within a variety of fields, including female Silicon Valley entrepreneurs, state level politicians, and activists, in order to encompass as much of the harassment experience as possible in its reach across industries and income levels. Encouragingly, the documentary is poised to tackle the oft-overlooked subjects of toxic masculinity, and its damaging effects on both men and women, as well as gender roles as enforced from birth. As activist Dale Thomas Vaughn notes in the trailer: “We’re told as boys that we’re inherently more valuable than girls, and that leads to entitlement.” It’s time to push back on that entitlement.
Check out “Nevertheless” on Kickstarter to fund the project. You can learn more on the film’s website.
“The Monstrous Feminine” (Short)— Directed by Molly Stapleton
This horror short, developed by university students in London, is described as “a film about monsters, both metaphorical and otherwise.” Inspired by the genre’s unique ability to explore societal issues, the filmmakers’ story draws upon director Molly Stapleton’s experience of sexual assault to expose how society turns its own members into monsters.
The project takes its name from cultural critic Barbara Creed’s 1993 book, “The Monstrous-Feminine: Film, Feminism, Psychoanalysis,” which explores the role of women in horror films through a feminist lens. So, it seems likely that Stapleton and her fellow filmmakers intend to draw upon Creed’s work, and further dissect how the genre can be used to construct female characters and how those characters can be used to unpack damaging attitudes within our culture.
You can help support the production of “The Monstrous Feminine” by donating via its Indiegogo campaign page.
“#MeToo: A Documentary” [Working Title] — Created by Natalie Victor-Carelse
Inspired by the #MeToo movement, South Africa-based producer Natalie Victor-Carelse aims to make a documentary on the subject in order to give survivors a voice. She also wants to explore how sexual assault crimes are enabled, the effects they have on survivors, and how legislation could potentially be changed to ensure perpetrators meet justice.
With the doc Victor-Carelse intends to “delve deeper into the emotional, psychological, and physical effects [sexual assault] has on a person,” and with this in mind, the production team has already managed to secure interviews with a wide range of individuals — including psychologists, psychiatrists, lawyers, and victims — and is in the process of locking additional interviewees.
To help the the documentary with its production funding, and to learn more, you can visit the project’s Indiegogo campaign page.
To be considered for Women and Hollywood’s biweekly crowdfunding feature, please write to womenandhollywoodinterns@gmail.com. All formats (features, shorts, web series, etc.) welcome. Projects must be by and/or about women.
