Event

Until The Violence Stops

Until the Violence Stops features playwright and activist Eve Ensler in a powerful film that documents how The Vagina Monologues grew into an international grassroots movement called V-Day to stop violence against women and girls. In 2002, eight hundred cities around the world participated in V-Day by staging benefit performances of The Vagina Monologues. Until the Violence Stops shows women from Harlem to Ukiah, California; from the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation to the Philippines and Kenya, uniting and courageously revealing their intimate and deeply painful experiences with abuse ranging from rape to female circumcision.

Director Abby Epstein takes us on a poignant journey into the hearts of women and includes revealing testimonies from men, who expose social and cultural attitudes that perpetuate the pervasive violence against women. In emotionally charged interviews and performances, everyday women and celebrities like Rosie Perez, Salma Hayek, Tantoo Cardinal, Jane Fonda, and LisaGay Hamilton embrace their bodies, reconcile their past, and bond together to break the silence that surrounds abuse.

More than just testimonies and performances, Until the Violence Stops is a film about empowerment and the importance of dialogue in the healing process. A celebration of women reclaiming their bodies and lives, this moving documentary leaves us with hope that change can happen.

In 2004, Until the Violence Stops world premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and broadcast premiered on Lifetime Television. It has been screened at the Amnesty International Film Festivals in Amsterdam and Vancouver, as well as at the Miami and Maui Film festivals. In September, Toni Childs, David Ricketts, and Eddie Free received the 2004 Emmy award for ÂBest Original SongÂ for ÂBecause You Are BeautifulÂ and in November, the film won top honor Â the Gold Audience Award - at the Amnesty International Film Festival in Vancouver.