Scotiabank Theatre
259 Richmond St. W, Toronto, Ontario, M5V 3M6
HOT DOCS 2019 / WORLD PREMIERE
Baljit Sangra
2019 | 85 min
Wednesday, May 1 | 6:15 PM | Scotiabank Theatre, Cinema 4*
Thursday, May 2 | 1:00 PM | Scotiabank Theatre, Cinema 13*
Friday, May 3 | 6:00 PM | TIFF Bell Lightbox 2
* Director Baljit Sangra, Producer Selwyn Jacob and the Pooni sisters in attendance.
VENUE LOCATIONS:
Scotiabank Theatre 259 Richmond St. W
TIFF Bell Lightbox 350 King St. W
To purchase tickets, click here.
A conservative Indo-Canadian family in small-town British Columbia must come to terms with a devastating secret: three sisters were sexually abused by an older relative beginning in their childhood years. After remaining silent for nearly two and a half decades, the sisters decide to come forward—not only to protect other young relatives, but to set an example for their daughters as well.
Documentarian Baljit Sangra sensitively explores the impact of sexual abuse on a family, turning her empathetic lens on intimate moments in the family’s life. Full of nuance and layers, Because We Are Girls weaves poetically between past and present, darkness and light. We witness the emotional toll that pursuing justice through the courts and confronting their family for not protecting them as children takes on the sisters. But we also share in their happiness as they bond with their daughters and dance along to their favourite Bollywood songs. As the film deftly intertwines touching home footage of the young, innocent girls they once were alongside uplifting scenes of the strong, empowered women they have become, the family’s unconditional love flows freely through it all.
Straying from typical portraits of the journey to healing, Because We Are Girls offers a unique and powerful tribute to women’s strength in the face of profound trauma.