By: Valerie Milano
Los Angeles, CA (The Hollywood Times) 6/30/2024 – It is a crisis beyond anything most of us can even comprehend. Worldwide, one in three women are affected by it. The crisis is domestic violence, and it knows no economic, cultural, or geographical boundaries.
It is the focus of Scars Unseen, a phenomenal feature-length documentary from director and executive producer Meredith Yinger (The Madams) that aims at illuminating the power of healing, de-stigmatizing victimhood, and encouraging open communication about the causes, treatment, and prevention of abuse.
Yinger is a bestselling author, producer, host, voiceover artist, and owner of She TV Media, a female-led, full-service video and virtual event production company based in Los Angeles. She sat down with The Hollywood Times recently for an exclusive chat about her film, which makes its world premiere on June 30th at the Dances With Films in Los Angeles.
A “triumph of the human spirit” documentary, Scars Unseen focuses on the resiliency of three phenomenal women, highlighting each individual’s experience involving domestic violence. The film focuses not on the grim details of their trauma, but rather on the tools and techniques that helped them to persevere on their healing journey.
Certainly, this is a difficult subject for anyone to tackle, and Yinger said it was definitely very challenging for her.
“I think the hardest part, honestly, was in post-production,” Yinger said. “You’re reliving these moments with them, and you’re trying to figure out how to craft their stories and be true to what they are saying, what to leave in versus what to take out … that was very, very challenging for me.”
Click below for an exclusive interview:
And the challenge was not simply one of emotion. It was about making sure the film accurately reflected what these three women went through.
“I just wanted to give them enough time onscreen and give them room to share,” Yinger said. “The interviews were much longer than what ends up being in the actual film … just reliving those moments and also trying to find that balance between their struggle and really amplify their resilience and hope element that each of these women really bring. That was the challenging part. It takes a toll, and it is hard to separate.”
The three women – Trish Steele, Maha Bodhi and Adrienne Rouan – each came to the project via different routes, Yinger said.
“It was a little bit of serendipity,” Yinger said, explaining the project evolved from one event where Steele, the founder and CEO of Women Crowned In Glory, Inc./Safe Passage Heals, was speaking. “We were actually filming an event she was speaking at called “I Am A Superwoman,” and that was where Maha was also speaking and sharing her story.
“We went up to (Bodhi) afterward and said, ‘Oh my gosh, your story is so powerful, and I would love to talk with you and learn more.’ So that’s how we connected to Maha.”
The third woman, Rouan, actually found Yinger and her project through the crowd-funding effort Yinger had put together for the film.
“She was scrolling and something caught her eye, and she saw the project, and left me a voicemail sharing her story with me,” Yinger said. “We connected and talked with her, and then we eventually flew her and her daughter out (to Los Angeles). Once this project was happening, it attracted more and more people to be a part of it. That’s kind of how it has been all the way to the present day. It’s kind of awesome to see people joining in and really amplifying the message.”
Along with Yinger, Natalie Perez is the film’s co-creator and co-executive producer, as well is the director of photography. Sarah Franke is the film’s editor, and Jacquie Joy, Sandrine Rudaz, and Luna Pan collaborated on the music.
Scars Unseen screened today at 2:45 p.m. on June 30th at the TCL Chinese 6 Theatres, 6925 Hollywood Blvd, in Hollywood.
For more information, go to https://danceswithfilms.com/
