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An INDIEGOGO campaign for a documentary by Attiya Khan & Lawrence Jackman
Executive Produced by Sarah Polley | Produced by Christine Kleckner
http://igg.me/at/ABetterManFilm
SHORT SYNOPSIS | ABetterManFilm.com
A Better Man is a film that will help advance the movement to end violence against women
through a deeper focus on helping abusive men to change.
INDIEGOGO CAMPAIGN | igg.me/at/ABetterManFilm
The purpose of this project is to persuade the public, policy makers, and those who work in
the domestic violence field to widen their focus to include abusers as a means of preventing
violence against women.
"The man who abused me when we were teenagers is now taking responsibility for
his actions. One of the things he said was, 'Attiya, I wish I could have been a better
man.' I'm making this documentary because I believe he, and people like him, can
change, and I want to create a space for that to happen. I see our conversation as a
starting point to advance the movement to end violence against women."
This campaign is unique because of co-director Attiya Khan’s experiences as a victim of
abuse, and her interest in understanding the problems that her former abuser encountered
throughout his lifetime. The documentary, A Better Man, highlights Attiya’s personal journey
over twenty years from a teenager in an abusive relationship, to an advocate for domestic
violence survivors, to an activist seeking systemic change and a survivor who is prepared to
help her former abuser. She is the heart, soul and voice of this campaign.
IMPORTANT DATES
November 10 - December 20: Indiegogo campaign for A Better Man
November 25: International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women
December 6: National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women
FUNDRAISING GOAL
Our goal is to raise $75,000 in 40 days. On November 12, internationally acclaimed singersongwriter Feist offered her support by contributing $10,000 towards the film's production. We
reached more than 50% of our goal within five days. Funding will go towards the first phase of
filming with Attiya and her former abuser.
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PERKS
The most significant perks for this campaign have been created to honour those whose lives
have been impacted by violence against women. Donors can contribute as survivors, or in
honour of victims who have experienced violence against women. These names, initials, or
anonymous signatures will be included in the final credits of the film. Gift cards in the theme
of self-care can also be purchased for friends and family, including rejuvenating and healing
perks for yoga, exercise and salons. Another perk is a casual living room concert with Juno
Award-winning singer-songwriter Justin Rutledge and a special guest. In addition to
Associate Producer credits and VIP screenings, the campaign is offering the wonderful
opportunity to dine with the crew, including Executive Producer Sarah Polley.
THE FILMMAKERS
SARAH POLLEY (Executive Producer) is a writer-director whose dramatic features
include Away from Her (nominated in 2007 for an Academy Award for Best Adapted
Screenplay, and winner of the 2008 Genie Awards for Best Motion Picture and Achievement
in Direction) and Take This Waltz, starring Seth Rogen, Michelle Williams and Sarah
Silverman. Her most recent film, Stories We Tell, was awarded Best Documentary by the
Toronto Film Critics Association, the New York Film Critics Circle, the National Board of
Review and the Los Angeles Film Critics Association. It was also on the shortlist for the 2013
Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. Sarah is currently adapting Margaret
Atwood's historical novel, Alias Grace, as well as John Green's debut novel, Looking for
Alaska.
CHRISTINE KLECKNER (Producer) is a producer whose short film Barefoot (2012)
premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, received honourable mention at The
Berlinale, and was selected for the Not Short on Talent Showcase at the 2012 Cannes Film
Festival. Prior to that, she produced Wapawekka (2010) which screened at the Toronto
International Film Festival, Sundance and the Berlinale. During her time with the National Film
Board of Canada, she collaborated on groundbreaking projects including Stories We Tell,
Home Again, and the multi-platform Filmmaker-in-Residence. Christine also worked on
CTV’s acclaimed Corner Gas, and her productions have been acquired by CBC, Air Canada,
APTN and the Movie Network. She is an alumni of the National Screen Institute of Canada’s
Drama Prize Program. Christine resides in Toronto working freelance in documentary and
drama.
ATTIYA KHAN (Writer, Co-Director) is a mother, feminist, domestic violence survivor, and
long-time advocate and counselor for abused women and children. She has worked in
women’s shelters in Canada and the United States, including serving as Director of Child
and Youth services at a shelter in Boston. At the YWCA Toronto, she supported the
communications and advocacy team, facilitated a training program on crisis intervention, and
administered the December 6th Fund, which offers interest-free loans for women fleeing
domestic violence. Attiya is married to Alex Mazer, a lawyer, businessperson, and public
policy advisor. They live in downtown Toronto with their son, Elliot.
LAWRENCE JACKMAN (Writer, Co-Director) is a Toronto-based filmmaker. Over the past
fifteen years he has worked on many award-winning films, focusing primarily on independent
documentaries and dramas. He often works as an editorial consultant that includes a longstanding association with the National Film Board of Canada, and is experienced working at
critical stages to creatively and structurally bring films to completion. Both as an editor and in
his own filmmaking, he is interested in creative storytelling and pushing genre boundaries. In
2011 he directed the award-winning How Does It Feel, a documentary musical about the
importance of creative fulfillment told through the musical pursuits of a singer with cerebral
palsy.
IRIS NG (Director of Cinematography) has been collaborating with filmmakers and artists
for over a decade. Her credits include Sarah Polley’s Stories We Tell, Morgan Spurlock’s
Committed: The Toronto International Film Festival, Angad Singh Bhalla’s Herman’s House,
Rama Rau’s The Market, Min Sook Lee’s My Toxic Baby and international art installation
projects by Luis Jacob and Chris Curreri.
DEVELOPMENT PHASE
Throughout the research phase, we’ve spoken with friends, experts, lawmakers, police
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officers and grassroots groups who agree there is a lack of support available to men who
use violence. What we’ve learned is that if we help abusive men to change, we can make
real progress towards ending violence against women. Key issues that the film will explore:
Despite decades of important work by people in the domestic violence field, the
incidence of violence against women remains intolerably high.
We must help abusive men to change while also continuing to support survivors; it’s
about AND not OR.
We must help abusive men to take responsibility for their actions and learn how to
have healthy, non-abusive relationships.
The systems we have built to prevent violence against women need a much greater
focus on helping abusive men to change.
Endorsements
Sarah Polley, Filmmaker
"A Better Man is one of the most original concepts for a documentary I have ever
encountered. I have never seen anyone approach this subject matter from such an original
perspective. It is inspiring beyond measure to have witnessed some of the process of the
development of this film. I think it will shock, inspire, motivate and heal. It is the film that I am
most excited to see in the next couple of years and it is a great honour to be a part of it."
Leslie Feist, Singer-Songwriter
"The hidden dynamic of abuse is pervasive and is often shrouded by an uncomfortable
politeness between witnesses and the details. What moves me about Attiya Khan’s concept
for A Better Man is the spotlight being given to the abuser. From the courageous position of a
woman who’s had 20 years to consider what she endured and with a willingness to hear
another version of the same experience, I believe this will be an important documentary and
spark a conversation we will all benefit from."
Owen Pallett, Composer/Musician
"This documentary has the capacity to break down two enormous societal barriers. The first
is the stigma of victimhood, that Attiya is able to publicly recount the details of her abuse
without fear, and without shame. The second is the stigma of the abuser. Abuse is so
ridiculously common, and the majority of people who commit acts of physical or sexual
violence, these are not monsters, they are our friends and our family members. I fully
endorse the creation of Attiya Khan's A Better Man documentary. It is a brave and inspiring
project."
Doug Block, Documentary Filmmaker (112 Weddings, The Children Next Door)
"Having made both personal documentaries and a short documentary about domestic
violence, I can attest that A Better Man has the potential to be not just an important film but
an unusually powerful one. Audiences relate to a well-made personal documentary with
a fervor and passion unlike any other genre of film. And having gotten to know Attiya and the
people she's surrounded herself with to help her, I can't imagine her film will be anything less
than extremely well made. I urge you to add your name to her growing list of helpers!"
Amanda Dale B.A (Hons.), M.A, MSt (LL.M, Oxford)
Executive Director of Barbra Schlifer Commemorative Clinic
"I know Attiya Khan. She is an important ally to the everyday work on women's rights and
safety. Her film is an emotionally courageous project that turns our understanding of violence
against women on its head. It is the breakthrough we have been waiting for. Hold onto your
seat and get ready to have your mind blown."
Todd Minerson, Executive Director of White Ribbon Campaign
“It is a real privilege to offer an endorsement for this vital documentary project. While the
topic is not new, the approach is revelatory. Why do men use violence against women? Told
through a captivating conversation with a man who used violence, this documentary will shed
light into a dark corner we better need to understand to get to the root causes of the
pandemic of violence against women.”
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Tod Augusta-Scott, MSW, RSW, Executive Director of Bridges Institute
“A Better Man has the potential to make a significant contribution to the field of domestic
violence. The film will offer a new feminist analysis of domestic violence, which will lead
to greater safety, equality and respect for women. The direction of the documentary is brave,
intelligent, and hopeful. It has the potential to change the lives of both women who have
experienced abuse and those that care about them.”
Sollange Umwali, Project Lead, Toronto Justice Service Collaborative, Centre for
Addiction and Mental Health
“I worked with Attiya at a grassroots feminist organization that provided crisis counselling to
survivors of domestic violence, and it is no surprise that A Better Man leaves us with a multidimensional appreciation of human and community resilience. A Better Man will demonstrate
the possibility of transformation. We will be challenged to explore the complex dynamics of
domestic violence, and focus that understanding towards holistic healing."
Michael Kaufman, author, international educator, and co-founder of the White
Ribbon Campaign
“I think we can end men's violence against women. One step is knowing that most men don't
use violence in their relationships and believing that those who do can change. Whether they
actually do change requires some very thoughtful work. A Better Man is a courageous and
stunning contribution to a future without violence against women. It tackles some hard
questions, foregoes simplistic solutions, and reaches out with both a challenge and deep
compassion. By doing all this, it provides us with a vision full of immense hope and
possibility.”
Mike Layton, Toronto City Councillor for Ward 19
“Though millions of families are deeply impacted by gender based violence, those living it,
victims and perpetrators, are far to often afraid or ashamed to confront and discuss the
issue. Dialog is the first step towards identifying underlying issues and taking them on,
allowing society to not only confront violence in all its forms, but to focus on preventing
violence by better understanding its root. I believe all men, fathers, friends, and colleagues,
play a key role in preventing gender based violence. This project explores the roots of gender
based violence in order to help the audience and society prevent it.”
Tara Muldoon, Director/Founder of F-You: The Forgiveness Project
“A Better Man is crucial. I'm excited about the conversation, forgiveness and healing that will
come out of this project. Attiya is one of the bravest women I've ever met.”
Ian DeGeer, PhD (can), social worker/researcher/consultant
“A Better Man could not be more timely. We are inundated with examples of how men use
violence to control their partners. We are often left we few answers and more questions than
we started with. With courage and bravery Attiya Khan is searching for these elusive
answers. Starting by facing her own abuser and through conversations with those working
on this issue this documentary aims to provide insights and answers about or working with
men who abuse women. I could not think of a more important or urgent documentary that
needs to be supported and made."
Mark Sakamoto, #1 bestselling author of Forgiveness: A Gift from My Grandparents
"An honest look into suffering of the worst kind uncovers one woman's incredible strength
and perseverance. I wish it were unnecessary, but this is a story I want my two daughters to
know."
Darren O’Donnell, Artistic and Research Director, Mammalian Diving Reflex
“Attiya Khan confronts us with the complex and horrifying banality of domestic violence, then
guides us to listen to, learn from, if not go so far as to find compassion for the abuser. Not in
some gesture of humanist understanding but rather as a piece of vital research that is
desperately necessary. Pathologizing the mind of the abuser allows their monstrous
behaviour to remain just that, monstrous and unassailable to our human logic, mysterious
and vile. But surely these are the people who hold the key to effective intervention
and prevention. Theories and treatment require their expert validation for, without it, we
know nothing. Putting herself on the line yet again, Khan carefully reaches toward her
abuser, bringing us along to share in insights.”
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Production Company
Press Contact
Intervention Productions Inc.
Toronto, ON
[email protected]
c: 416-830-7931
Janette Luu
[email protected]
c: 416-371-7669
Social Media
facebook.com/ABetterManFilm
@ABetterManFilm
youtube.com/ABetterManFilm
instagram.com/ABetterManFilm
Images available at
ABetterManFilm.com.
Trailer available upon request.
Copyright © 2014 Intervention Productions Inc., All rights reserved.
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