Private Violence

Dispelling myths of domestic abuse

2014 | Running Time: 80 minutes | Rating: TV-14

PRIVATE VIOLENCE explores the disturbing fact that the most dangerous place for a woman in America to be is her own home. Every day in the US, at least four women are murdered by abusive (and often, ex) partners. The film focuses on the testimony of two survivors, Deanna Walters and Kit Gruelle, aiming to dispel the logic behind the question: “Why didn’t she just leave?” Their experiences challenge entrenched and misleading assumptions, providing a lens into a world that is often out of sight behind closed doors, bearing witness to the complicated and complex realities of intimate partner violence. PRIVATE VIOLENCE premiered at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival. Director/Producer: Cynthia Hill, Director/Producer; Executive Producers: Julia Parker Benello, Wendy Ettinger, Lilly Hartley, Judith Helfand, Regina K. Scully, Gloria Steinem, Cindy Waitt

Sundance Film Festival 2014: Grand Jury Prize – Documentary (nomination)
News & Documentary Emmy Awards 2015: Outstanding Informational Programming – Long Form (nomination)
Cinema Eye Honors Awards 2016: Outstanding Achievement in Nonficiton Filmmaking for Television
Women Film Critics Circle Awards 2014: Adrienne Shelly Award
Brooklyn Girl Film Festival 2015: Best Feature film (nomination)
North Carolina Film Critics Association 2015: Tar Heel Award (nomination)

“Brisk and disturbing, it should be an eye-opener to anyone whose understanding of domestic violence amounts to the ignorant suggestion, ‘Why didn’t you leave?’”

LOS ANGELES TIMES

Tags: Feature, Documentary, Sexual Violence & Abuse, Gender