SUGGESTED FILMS & VIDEOS
HUMAN RIGHTS—Gender

Title: DEFENDING OUR LIVES . 1993, USA. 42 mins or 30 mins (Also available in Spanish). Color.

PBS Status: PBS national service has never carried.

Description: Oscar® winning documentary about the magnitude and severity of domestic violence in this country, features four women imprisoned for killing their batterers and their terrifying personal testimonies. Domestic Violence is the single greatest cause of injury to women in America - more than muggings, rapes, and car accidents combined. Sarah Buel, a district attorney, outlines the problem throughout the video - not merely as a member of the criminal justice system, but as a former battered woman.

Each of these women tells her own horrific tale of beatings, rape and torture at the hands of her husband or boyfriend. They talk of being stalked, harassed and threatened with death, particularly after attempting to leave their abusive partners. They all testify to the failure of the criminal justice system to protect victims of domestic violence - from unenforced restraining orders, to reluctant law enforcement officials, to the courts' refusal to accept the special nature of their defense. And each woman's frightening account of the cycle of violence resonates with the stories of battered women everywhere. They have chosen to share their stories, hoping to inspire creative strategies for ending this violence.

Credits: Coming soon.

Awards/Festivals/Screenings: OSCAR, Academy Award® for Best Documentary Short, Outstanding Independent Film of the Year, New England Film & Video Festival, First Prize, Columbus International Film Festival, The Pass Award, National Council on Crime & Deliquency, First Place, National Council on Family Relations, Silver Plaque, Chicago International Film Festival Festivals: Denver International Film Festival, Seattle International Film Festival Edinburgh International Film Festival, Leipzig International Festival of Documentary & Animation, Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival Rocky Mountain Women's Film Festival, Women in the Director's Chair International Film and Video Festival Screenings: U.S. Senate, U.S. House of Representatives, State Legislatures, State Attorney Generals' Offices, Executive Offices of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, The United Nations, Museum of Modern Art, Museum of Fine Arts, National College of District Attorneys Conference, The American Bar Association

Broadcast Rights Owner: Cambridge Documentary Films.Telephone: 617-484-3993, Fax: 617-484-0745.. cdf@shore.net

Broadcast License Fee: Coming soon.

Video: Available. Rental: $55     Purchase: $160

Previews: Not available. If you rent and decide to buy, your one day rental charge (not including shipping charge) can be deducted from the purchase price.