ONWA and OFIFC Launch Breaking Free, Breaking Through Video

Press Release

September 12, 2016

The Ontario Native Women’s Association (ONWA) and the Ontario Federation of Indigenous Friendship Centres (OFIFC) are launching a new public awareness video titled Breaking Free, Breaking Through. The video, produced by Apple Wagon Films in Thunder Bay addresses violence against Indigenous women and the supports needed for women and their families. The video is part of a research project completed by ONWA and OFIFC documenting the resiliency of Indigenous women in breaking free from violence.

The video documents a woman escaping a situation of family violence and accessing cultural programming and services with her daughter. The purpose of the video is to raise awareness about supports and services available for Indigenous women experiencing violence and encourage increased dialogue about the importance of addressing high rates of violence against Indigenous women.

Curtis Jenson of Apple Wagon Films knew this project was going to be something special. “The result is a film that I am very proud of. It feels poignant at the beginning, but evolves into something very endearing and empowering by the end” says Jenson. His hope is that the video provokes dialog on domestic abuse in Northwestern Ontario, a topic that is commonly closeted in the region.

As an organization with a mandate to address violence against Indigenous women, ONWA is deeply concerned with the disproportionately high rates of violence against Indigenous women and girls. “It is our organization’s hope that this public awareness project will bring increased attention and collaborative efforts to address the safety needs of Indigenous women in Ontario and for our communities to begin to have an open dialogue on this issue. This is particularly timely given the recent launch of the Inquiry into MMIW” says Cora McGuire-Cyrette, Executive Director of ONWA.

The video launch is being held at the ONWA head office, located at 150 City Rd., Fort William First Nation at 1:00pm on September 12, 2016.

For more information, please contact:

Jolene Banning
Public Relations Coordinator
Phone: 807-623-3442 | Email: jbanning@onwa.ca

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