NEW YORK, NY -- After a lengthy process raising money on IndieGoGo, New York native Lorena Gordon has finished her first short film, “Times Like These,” inspired by her mother’s experience with domestic abuse.
“I wanted to give something back to my mom, and I had never seen any films on this topic,” said Gordon. “When the trailer was out on YouTube, the comments started flooding in. So many people related to the film. Bringing the awareness is so important, because it is still going on.”
Twenty to twenty five percent of Latinas will experience intimate partner violence during her lifetime, according to National Latin@ Network, and 1 in 20 have experienced domestic violence in the last year.
In New York City, groups like the Violence Intervention Program and the Manhattan Family Justice Center are trying to make sure awareness spreads beyond just during Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
“We are informing everyone that we can all do something about it,” says Anabella Escobar, Deputy Director of the Manhattan Family Justice Center, which will be discussing Gordon’s film Thursday night with the public. “Take a stand when somebody is making a joke about domestic violence...The city is encouraging everyone to be part of this action.”
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--Kristina Puga
