Hold Me Right Film

Hold Me Right is an educational documentary exploring the aftermath of sexual assault. The film aims to challenge the prejudices about the causes and effects of sexual trauma through intimate testimonies of survivors in the wake of these crimes.

The Film Collaborative is the Fiscal Sponsor of Hold Me Right. The film is being produced with the support of Rape Abuse Incest National Network (RAINN), Safe Horizon, TheVoices and Faces Project.

The film explores what happens after the crimes, when survivors come forward to seek support​. Upon telling their stories of abuse to their loved ones, survivors often go through a second round of trauma as their closest allies frequently respond with disbelief, lack of understanding, silence, shame, and blame. This has become the mainstream cultural response to sexual assault.

Despite all efforts to bring awareness about this issue to the public, perpetrators still count on the fact victims will be ashamed and frightened to come forward with the story and will stay silent. By shaming and, therefore, silencing victims, society enables assaults to continue happening. Once we as a society learn, accept and understand that our conceptions about sexual assault are conditioning the aftermath for survivors, once we create the cultural current that provides support and healing for victims, women and men will feel free to speak up, assured they will not be doubted and ashamed.