Documentary
Feature Film
Launching at Melbourne International Film Festival: Aug 2024
Left Write Hook follows eight female survivors of childhood sexual abuse who participate in a 2-year experimental recovery program that combines the physicality of boxing with the emotional power of expressive writing.
The program provides survivors of sexual assault a space to release their memories, reclaim their bodies and imagine new lives for themselves.
Through powerful participatory filmmaking, unprecedented access, and full engagement with all of those involved, this feature-length documentary captures an amazing journey of recovery, transformation, and friendship.
What unfolds across their ensuing time together is a profound discovery of self, resilience, and community as the survivors begin to regain agency and take back their power.
Production Company: Sweetshop & Green
Writer/ Director: Shannon Owen
Producers: Donna Lyon, Alice Burgin, Gal Greenspan, Shannon Owen
Participant Collaborators: Claire Gaskin, Gabrielle, Lauren, Pixie, Nikki, Dove, Julie.
Aims of the Left Write Hook Documentary
Awareness + Advocacy
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Sustainability + growth
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Audience
impact + reach
Change the narrative about survivors
Position incest as a central part of the conversation about child sexual abuse.
Create an open culture of community support for survivors in the Mental Health Sector.
Build the Left Write Hook recovery program as a sector leader
Attract funding to expand the program for survivors nationally
Produce a survivor-authored resource toolkit to aid health experts and practitioners to respond effectively to reports of sexual abuse in someone’s history.
Provide evidence-based research outcomes to inform mental health practitioners about the efficacy of creative and body-based therapies for survivors.