Published Sunday, Apr. 18, 2021, 12:05 am
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A documentary about home violence by Washington and Lee University professor Stephanie Sandberg and Nolan Zunk ’22 has been named an official choice within the Cannes World Film Festival and a finalist within the Five Continents International Film Festival and the Vancouver Independent Film Festival.
“I’m honored that ‘Intimate Violence’ was selected,” Zunk stated. “It is crucial that we all come to terms with the realities of intimate partner violence, and I’m proud that our film can share in that effort.”
Sandberg, an assistant professor in Department of Theater, Dance, and Film Studies, started working with Zunk on the movie close to the top of his freshman 12 months at W&L. They labored carefully with Lexington nonprofit Project Horizon and used Lenfest grant cash to journey across the nation and interview nationwide specialists. Lauren Hayes ’23 was additionally concerned in making the documentary and, together with Sandberg, wrote a associated play that includes home violence survivor tales.
The 102-minute documentary, which weaves collectively survivor tales with professional interviews to take a detailed have a look at the present state of home violence in America, was screened for the primary time at Hull’s Drive-in on Oct. 25, 2020 to lift cash for Project Horizon. It raised about $20,000. In January, Sandberg and Zunk used funds offered by the Provost Office to enter “Intimate Violence” in quite a few movie festivals across the nation.
As an official choice within the Cannes World Film Festival’s month-to-month competitors, the movie is routinely entered within the annual competitors for a possibility to win a trophy and have the movie screened at a theater in Cannes. The filmmakers even have earned the suitable to show the festival laurel on their poster and add their credit on IMDb.
The movie additionally was named a finalist within the Five Continents International Film Festival, an IMDb-qualifying month-to-month movie festival, and within the Vancouver International Film Festival, one of many largest movie festivals in North America. It might be screened at that festival this fall. The filmmakers could use laurels from each of these festivals on the movie poster, as properly.
Sandberg and Zunk are thrilled that “Intimate Violence” is getting consideration and hope it would obtain extra widespread recognition within the months to return. “Putting those laurels on your poster is a really big deal,” Sandberg stated. “You have to get those on there in order to have your film taken seriously.”
While the kudos are good, each filmmakers say it’s most essential that the movie educate viewers concerning the very actual and pervasive drawback of home violence.
“Survivors deserve to be heard and to have their stories listened to,” Zunk stated. “I hope that the film continues to start conversations both here in Lexington and around the world about how we all can work toward a violence-free society.”