A Safe Distance
The short documentary looks at some innovative approaches to providing services and accommodation for battered women in rural, northern, and Native communities. Filmed in Thompson and Portage La Prairie, Manitoba, and West Bay Reserve, Ontario, the film introduces the women who operate and use various types of accommodation such as transition houses, transition apartments, and safe houses. The shelter on West Bay Reserve is singled out as a project that was built by women for women to stand as a reminder that the Reserve will not tolerate violence against women. A Safe Distance is part of the The Next Step, …
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The short documentary looks at some innovative approaches to providing services and accommodation for battered women in rural, northern, and Native communities. Filmed in Thompson and Portage La Prairie, Manitoba, and West Bay Reserve, Ontario, the film introduces the women who operate and use various types of accommodation such as transition houses, transition apartments, and safe houses. The shelter on West Bay Reserve is singled out as a project that was built by women for women to stand as a reminder that the Reserve will not tolerate violence against women. A Safe Distance is part of the The Next Step, a 3-film series about the services needed by and available to battered women.
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directorTina Horne
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producerGerry RogersTina Horne
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executive producerKathleen Shannon
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cinematographyZoe Dirse
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soundNorma Denys
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editingSidonie Kerr
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sound editingJackie Newell
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re-recordingHans Peter Strobl
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narratorHolly Dressel
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musicJudith Gruber-Stitzer
Warning (if any): Descriptions of domestic violence
Brief “lesson launcher type” activity or a series of inquiry questions with a bit of context:
A documentary exploring what services are available to victims of domestic violence in the Manitoba area.
One in six Canadian men are perpetrators of domestic violence (at time of the film’s release in 1986). Is this statistic still accurate? If there has been any change, what do you think the factors are that have influenced this change?
In the film, they explain that the laws around the rights of a husband to abuse a wife have only been eliminated in the past 100 years (from the time this film was released). Have we made enough progress in this time to ensure that women are treated with respect?
Many of the crisis centres explored in this film are dependent on government funding and do not offer a substantial enough salary to keep skilled employees. What solutions need to exist to support social programs?
How must programming differ to suit different communities across Canada? For example, First Nations communities are outlined in the film as putting value on remaining on the reserve, and retaining knowledge of Indigenous languages. What else should crisis centres consider when supporting diverse groups in Canada?
