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Premiered Tuesday, February 17 at 10 pm et/pt
"Until the Violence Stops" is a powerful one-hour documentary about V-Day, the global movement to end violence against women and girls, which grew out of Eve Ensler's play "The Vagina Monologues." The documentary, which will air commercial-free on Lifetime, made its world premiere on January 17 at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival.
In 2002, 800 cities participated in V-Day, and "Until the Violence Stops," directed by Abby Epstein, shows V-Day's impact on five very different communities affected by violence against women and girls. What emerges is an alternately devastating and hopeful look at the grassroots efforts of committed women and men around the world to stop the violence. Viewers will visit the following five communities:
Harlem, New York
A group of celebrity performers, including Rosie Perez, LisaGay Hamilton, Salma Hayek and Essence magazine's Susan L. Taylor, collaborate on V-Day Harlem, a star-studded benefit performance to raise funds for local anti-violence organizations. Onstage and off, the women reveal how their lives have been shaped by violence and share their steps toward healing.
Ukiah, California
In this idyllic northern California town, the entire community prepares for a benefit staging of "The Vagina Monologues," featuring 39 women, ages eight through 93. Ukiah Sheriff Anthony Craver and Under-Sheriff Gary Hudson, the town's self-proclaimed "peace officers," embrace the production. Members of a local quilting group have also created "vagina quilts" as a way to express their personal experiences with abuse. These are prominently displayed in store windows throughout town.
Manila, Philippines
Activist-producer-actress Monique Wilson creates a V-Day event at the 5,000-seat Folk Arts Theater in Manila, aimed at benefiting World War II "comfort women." These elderly women speak openly about their horrific experiences while serving as sex slaves for Japanese soldiers during the war.
Pine Ridge Reservation, near Rapid City, South Dakota
The male directors of the Cangleska Women's Shelter, Marlin Mousseau and Wayne Weston, discuss their personal experiences with violence, both as perpetrators and victims. They are now reformed activists who guide other male members of the Lakota tribe. Their tearful, powerful testimonials suggest that individuals do have the power to break the cycle of abuse. We also watch Native American actress Tantoo Cardinal deliver a touching performance of Eve Ensler's "Crooked Braid" monologue, about a wife who braids the hair of her violent husband.
Narok, Kenya
With the help of funds raised by the V-Day movement, activist Agnes Pareyio has founded the V-Day Safe House for girls who flee their families in order to escape female genital mutilation (FGM). We meet several young women who share their stories, and get a crash course in the inhumanity of this still ongoing ritual.
"Until the Violence Stops" includes appearances by V-Day founder Eve Ensler and a wide range of actors who support V-Day's efforts to end violence against women, including Jane Fonda, Glenn Close, Isabella Rossellini, Queen Latifah and Rosario Dawson.
Click here for a clip of "Until the Violence Stops."
About V-Day
V-Day is a global movement to stop violence against women and girls, initiated by Eve Ensler’s play "The Vagina Monologues." V-Day promotes creative events to increase awareness, raise money and revitalize the spirit of existing anti-violence organizations. V-Day generates broader attention for the fight to stop worldwide violence against women and girls, including rape, battery, incest, female genital mutilation and sexual slavery.
Click here to visit the V-Day Web site.
About Eve Ensler
Eve Ensler is a playwright and activist whose Obie Award–winning play, "The Vagina Monologues," is based on interviews with more than 200 women; after female audience members flocked to Ensler to share their experiences, she decided to use performances of the play to raise funds for organizations working to stop violence against women and girls. "The Vagina Monologues" has been translated into over 25 languages and performed in theaters all over the world, including sold-out runs in New York and London. Ensler envisions a planet where women and girls will be free to thrive rather than merely survive.
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