The Line
People:
Nancy Schwartzman (Director, Producer & Writer)
Grants:
$35,000 for outreach and audience engagement in Spring/Summer 2009
$20,000 for outreach and audience engagement in Fall/Winter 2010
$15,000 for outreach and audience engagement in 2011
About the Project
What happens to women when they express their sexuality? Where is the line of consent? The filmmaker's own "grey area" experience is the point of departure for this examination of women's control of their bodies and command of public space. The documentary, The Line explores the intersection of sexual identity, power and violence in today's world. How do we negotiate our boundaries as sexually liberated women? How much are we desensitized to sexual violence? Through conversations with teenagers, educators, sex workers, the filmmaker, survivors of violence, the perpetrator of the filmmaker's assault, and lawmakers, this personal film explores "the grey area" and the elusive line of consent.The Line pushes the audience beyond the traditional anti-violence model of "no means no" and into a more nuanced space where young people can challenge their own behaviors and boundaries. Though statistically, one in four college women is at risk of sexual assault before graduation, campuses are often polarizing places where young women are afraid to assert themselves as "feminists" and young men are afraid to challenge traditional masculinities. Often men who want to be allies are barred from joining women's centers and movements dedicated to combating gender violence.
Campus administrations tend to miss the opportunity to foster transformative, empowering dialogue while instead focusing on risk reduction for young women in the shape of whistles, awareness campaigns to watch their drinks, and creating late-night buddy systems. These interventions are not focused on relationship dynamics or sexual behavior, and leave no room for men and women to engage one another in dialogues about healthy sexuality, communication, and respect.