"And So I Stayed" Film Screening and Conversation

36600 Niles Boulevard,Fremont CA 94536

26 October, 2022

Description

Join SAVE and the incredible activist Kim Dadou Brown for this screening of the award-winning documentary "And So I Stayed." The screening will be immediately followed by conversation with Dadou Brown, so bring your curiosity, compassion, and questions for this one-night-only event! Masks are strongly encouraged to be worn and required by the venue to have on-hand. Please bring your mask with you just in case. SYNOPSIS AND SO I STAYED is an award-winning documentary about survivors of abuse fighting for their lives and spending years behind bars. These women paid a steep price with long prison sentences, lost time with loved ones, and painful memories. Formerly incarcerated survivor-advocate Kim Dadou Brown, who met her wife while incarcerated, is a driving force in the passage of New York’s Domestic Violence Survivors Justice Act (DVSJA), a new law meant to prevent survivors from receiving harsh prison sentences for their acts of survival. Nikki Addimando, a mother of two young children, suffered the consequences when a judge didn’t follow the law’s guidelines. Tanisha Davis, a single mother who was ripped away from her son in 2013, is hopeful the new law is her way out of a harsh prison sentence. DIRECTORS’ STATEMENTS NATALIE PATTILLO - As someone who still has to deal with my abuser — despite leaving and doing exactly what the system demands of me — the mission to make this film is a personal one. In addition to my experience as a survivor, in 2010, my sister, Jennifer, was killed by her then-boyfriend. I often wonder what would’ve happened if Jennifer, like the survivors in the AND SO I STAYED, fought back? Would she be in prison if she killed him to protect herself? So often, people say that survivors "could've left" but ignore the fact that while they are in the process of leaving and safety planning, the danger drastically escalates. As a survivor and woman of color, I believe that our film can uplift survivors in a culture where they are disbelieved and villainized rather than protected. Because of my experiences, I have upheld the core value that this film must be trauma-informed in every stage. That mission has allowed AND SO I STAYED to develop into a deeply intimate film with survivors who trust us with their fears and trauma and feel comfortable recounting the harrowing physical and mental violence that they were subjected to in their abusive relationships, a misogynistic and racist legal system, and a cruel prison system. I believe it is my personal duty to not just make this film, but to make a searing, indelible impact on everyone who engages with it. DANIEL A. NELSON - Working on this documentary has been a privilege, especially working with women such as Co-Director Natalie Pattillo, who has been covering this issue long before I was moved into action five years ago. In this time though, I’ve seen first-hand how misogyny and racism, which is so rampant in our society, creeps into courtrooms and distorts the truth. When a male judge can stare a domestic violence survivor in the face and tell her that she “reluctantly consented” to the horrendous abuse she was subjected to, despite evidence saying otherwise, or a white male prosecutor can call a mom and survivor, who is Black, a “hood diva”, it tells you everything you need to know about how much work needs to be done. Listening has been imperative for me throughout this production. It’s my responsibility to listen to the experiences of women like Natalie, Kim, Tanisha, Nikki, and so many others and accept that there will always be nuances that I can never fully grasp. Over the last five years, I continue to work to hold myself accountable not only by listening, but being an active participant in the study and research of these issues as I continue to learn from women leaders everyday. It’s critical for men to stand up against toxic masculinity and follow the lead of women, like Natalie and Kim, who are tireless in their fight to end gender-based violence.