23 SHORT FILMS, 21 FEMALE DIRECTORS, 1 MOVIE FEATURE TO SUPPORT SURVIVORS OF SEXUAL ABUSE
BREAKING NEWS - FUNDRAISING SCREENING FOR REFUGE AT Marylebone Theatre 08/02/2023
BREAKING NEWS - MANCHESTER FILM FESTIVAL SCREENING 19/03/2023
BREAKING NEWS - REFUGE HAS FORMALLY ENDORSED THE FILM
BREAKING NEWS - Listen to our interview on BBC radio 4
EVERYTHING I EVER WANTED TO TELL MY DAUGHTER ABOUT MEN…
… is a black comedy, originally written for the stage by actress and screenwriter Lorien Haynes for her daughter. It traces a woman’s relationship history backwards, exploring the results of a sexual assault on her choices and her relationship experiences from teen pregnancy to infidelity and addiction.
Brenda Spira and Lorien Haynes at Lila Productions, and Jamie Harvey at Terra Nova release a full length feature dramedy and a subsequent anthology series of 23 short films, directed by 21 women in both the US and UK.
This passion project, created by an army of volunteer crew, male and female, with at least 50% female, is to raise awareness and support for survivors of abuse and assault in conjunction with RISE, the Nobel Prize nominated NPO, who are passing the Survivors Bill of Rights state by state in the US and took it to the UN in September 2019.
The films have been shot in conjunction with a powerful PSA, which features all cast and crew saying their statement of choice. From ‘I am a survivor,’ to ‘I hear you,’ this, released as a snowball as we shoot, paves the way for the film as a non-profit to support survivors of abuse the world over.
Written by Lorien Haynes, with Emmy award winning supervising producer Falguni Lakhani Adams, our directors include Amanda Nguyen, Talia Balsam, Sienna Guillory, Tara Fitzgerald, Erin Richards, Jodhi May, Maryam d’Abo, Gia Carides, Susannah Harker, and Saffron Burrows. Cast includes Jason Isaacs, James Purefoy, Nathan Fillion, Sullivan Stapleton, and Ben Lawson.
WINNER
Cannes Independent Film Festival - Best Film
Palm Springs International Film Awards - Best Experimental Film
Art Film Spirit Awards - Best Indie Film
LA Independent Women Film Awards - Best Narrative Feature
New York International Film Awards - Best Actress
Berlin International Art Film Festival - Best Actress
London Independent Film Awards - Best Actress
FINALIST
Austin Film Festival - Best Feature
Fabrique du Cinema Awards - International Feature Film
Venice Indie Film Festival (Semi-Finalist)
Red Movie Awards - Best Actress
NOMINATIONS
Montreal Independent Film Festival - Best Actress
New York International Film Awards - Best Feature
London Independent Film Awards - Best Feature
Montreal Independent Film Festival - Best Experimental
Toronto International Women Film Festival - Best First Time Female Filmmaker
SELECTIONS
Dumbo Film Festival (Pre-Selection)
Chicago Indie Film Awards - Best Actress | Best Female Filmmaker (Official Selection)
Manchester Film Festival (Official Selection)
FOR HELP AND SUPPORT CALL
Refuge UK wide 24 hour helpline - 0808 2000 247
RAINN US 24 hour helpline - 1-800-656-4673
International Resource