Danielle Sturk tackles the grim and, sadly, all-too-common reality of sexual violence against teens by boldly asking: Why? The Franco-Manitoban filmmaker meets with those directly or indirectly affected by the issue and willing to discuss it: young men, who share their observations on male culture and society at large; and young women survivors of sexual assault, who describe incidents ranging from catcalling to domestic violence. The decision to take this approach to the interviews was motivated by the gendered nature of the violence, given that 98 percent of reported sexual assaults are perpetrated by men (as Sturk’s documentary informs us). The format alternates based on who’s talking, with the male interviewees sharing their thoughts on-camera and the women telling their stories in voiceover to a sequence of images. The result is a deeply subjective film that offers a rich array of personal reflections on masculinity, the psychological and social repercussions of sexual violence, and the context that enables and even normalizes it.
Why? is also profoundly disturbing, not only in terms of what its subjects report, but also because of the sobering facts it presents, painstakingly culled from Canadian statistics on the topic. It’s impossible to remain indifferent when we learn that one in three women in Canada will experience some form of sexual assault during her lifetime, or that 70 percent of victims are aged 18 and under—and these statistics cover only the incidents that are reported.
A wake-up call for parents and other adults who spend time around teens, Why? probes the extent of the problem and its consequences, in a bid to spark the dialogue needed to find the strategies, approaches and solutions that can help put an end to sexual violence. Because things only change when people start talking and taking action.
Watch the Film
(88 words)
Danielle Sturk tackles the thorny issue of sexual violence against teens by boldly asking: Why? To find out, she talks to young men, who share their observations on male culture and society at large, and to young women survivors of different forms of sexual assault. The result is a deeply subjective film that offers a rich array of personal reflections in a bid to spark the dialogue needed to end gender-based violence. Because things only change when people start talking and taking action.
(65 words)
Danielle Sturk tackles the thorny issue of sexual violence against teens by boldly asking: Why? Young men, witnesses to the prevailing culture, and young women survivors of sexual assault share their personal reflections in the hopes of sparking the dialogue needed to end gender-based violence. Because things only change when people start talking and taking action.
(One liner – 40 words)
Why? sets out to spark the dialogue needed to end gender-based violence by talking to both young men, witnesses to the prevailing culture, and young women survivors of sexual assault.
Nearly 28,700 sexual assault complaints were filed with police across Canada in 2018.
Only 5% of sexual assault cases are reported to police.
– Statistics Canada, 2018
This represents 574,000 victims of sexual assault in Canada per year.
In Canada, 70% of reported sexual assault victims are 18 years of age or younger.
33% of women have been sexually assaulted at least once since the age of 15.
8% of men have been sexually assaulted at least once since the age of 15.
– Rotenberg, C. (2017). Police-reported sexual assaults in Canada, 2009 to 2014: A statistical profile. Statistics Canada.
To talk to someone, obtain support or find out what resources are available to you, call one of our Sexual Violence Helpline counsellors at 1 888 933-9007(24 hours a day, 7 days a week).
Researched, Written and Directed by
Danielle Sturk
Produced by
Denis McCready
With the participation of
Lisbeth Hildebrand
Maxime Kornechuk
Samuel Kornechuk
Joseph Owikoti
Amélie Pelletier-Lavack
Ena Sechin
Félixe Sturk Lussier
Some participants wish to remain anonymous.
Edited by
Chad Tremblay
Animated Photography (women)
Jean-Christophe Yacono (yako)
Videography
Tyler Funk
Photographic Portraits (men)
Dominique Rey
Sound Recording
Kirby Hammond
Foley
Stéphane Cadotte
Sound Design and sound Editing
Félixe Sturk Lussier
Original Music
Félixe Sturk Lussier
Sound Design Supervisor
Daniel Toussaint
Original Soundtrack
© 2022 National Film Board of Canada
Grade 9: The year in which the highest number of students experience sexual assault for the first time at school.
– McGuire, J. (2019, October 24).
Why CBC started looking into violence in schools. CBC.
Schools are not required to report these incidents.
– Common, D., Singh, A. & Taylor, C. (2019, October 25). More than 1 in 7 girls say they were sexually assaulted by another student — but schools lack policies to help. CBC.
Production Manager
Katy Slimmon
Camera Assistant
Ian Deraspe
Research
Laurence Ammann-Lanthier
Transcription
Emilia Fournier
Psychological Support
Pluri-elles (Manitoba)
Danica Audette
Mikayla Ricthot
51% of victims of sexual assault are rendered incapable of performing their primary activity.
21% of victims of unwanted sexual contact are rendered incapable of performing “their primary activity for the rest of the day.”
63% of sexual assault victims change their habits or activities, or avoid certain places.
Brennan, S. & Taylor-Butts, A. (2008). Sexual assault in Canada 2004 and 2007.
Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics Profile Series Statistics Canada.
Consultants in Development
David Alper
Erin Bockstael
Érik Cimon
Danielle de Moissac
Maxime Forest
Maureen Kilgour
Stéphanie Léonard
Geneviève Levasseur
Rhéa Rocque
Daniel Roy
Karoline Truchon
Jean-Christophe Yacono
Marya Zarif
Acknowledgements
Derrek Bentley, Le conseil jeunesse provincial
Mona Dupuis, Pluri-elles (Manitoba)
Roxane Dupuis
Université de Saint-Boniface
Sturk Lussier Family
Lise Denis, Institut collégial Vincent Massey Collegiate
Jérémie Beaulieu, teacher, and his grade 10 and 12 students (2022) from Collège Louis-Riel
1 in 5 men and women who were sexually assaulted say that they had been made to feel they were responsible for their victimization.
Victims feel blamed for their own victimization most frequently by the abuser or by friends and family.
– Cotter, A. & Savage, L. (2019). Gender-based violence and unwanted sexual behaviour in Canada, 2018: Initial findings from the Survey of Safety in Public and Private Spaces Statistics Canada.
NFB POSTPRODUCTION
Foley Recording
MELS Studios
Online Editing and Colorization
Serge Verreault
Computer Graphics and Titles
Mélanie Bouchard
Mix
Isabelle Lussier
Subtitling and Translation
MELS Studios
STUDIO TEAM
Marketing Manager
Karine Sévigny
Production Coordinators
Sara Sajedi
Yousra-Islam Benziane
Isabelle Gatti
Administrators
Sia Koukoulas
Alexandrine Torres de Figueiredo
Technical Coordinator
Jean-François Laprise
Technical Support
Patrick Trahan
Marie-Josée Gourde
Pierre Dupont
Legal Counsel
Julie Patry
Line Producers
Geneviève Duguay
Alexandrine Torres de Figueiredo
Executive Producer
Denis McCready
A production of
the National Film Board of Canada
Canadian Francophonie Studio
Why?
www.nfb.ca
© 2022 National Film Board of Canada