NYWIFT member Elle Kamihira has launched a crowdfunding campaign for Jennifer, 42, an animated documentary feature film which tells the true story of Jennifer Magnano, a suburban mom of three, whose family’s battle to escape the coercive control and violence of an abusive husband and father, sheds light on the brutal realities of domestic violence. Directed by Kamihira, Jennifer, 42 hopes to demystify the veil of domestic violence households, yet make it accessible to all through beautiful animation drawn by award-winning Animation Director Yulia Ruditskaya.
Voiced by Jennifer’s children- Jessica, David, and Emily- and Jennifer’s best friend Tracy, this animated documentary film is an intimate family account of a fearful situation that is unfortunately shared by countless families, especially women. The facts are that in the United States:
- 3 women are murdered by an intimate partner every day.
- Domestic violence accounts for 15% of all violent crime.
- Domestic violence is the largest cause of mortality in women aged 19-44, greater than war, cancer and car accidents.
Jennifer, 42 is the crucial cautionary tale for this time of #MeToo, Time’sUp, and female reckoning. Kamihira and the Jennifer, 42 team hope to change the narrative from the over-simplification of a “victim” story to the triumph of survivors.
Kamihira is an award-winning director, producer, and writer working in installation media and documentaries. Her credits include the award-winning winning introductory film Who We Are at the Lelawi Theater at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian, signature films for The Museum of the American Revolution, The Harley-Davidson Museum, The Heard Museum, The Chickasaw Cultural Center, and The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame NY Annex. She led the production of 50+ media exhibits for the award-winning Nature Research Center of North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, that included the 4-story immersive Daily Planet Theater. Other notable credits include the feature film Jack & His Friends, the documentary Mothers and Daughters: A Lifetime Bond for Lifetime, live media show for 150th Commemoration of the Battle of Gettysburg, an animated film installation at Library of Congress, video projections for Anna Deavere Smith’s play House Arrest, The Rocky Horror Show on Broadway; George C. Wolfe’s Harlem Song at The Apollo, as well as annual video packages for the CFDA American Fashion Awards and the IBM Centennial Celebration Gala. She is also owner of Smultron Media, a media design & production studio in Brooklyn, NY. ellekamihira.com
We can all join the growing community fighting domestic violence, abuse, and coercive control through this poignant film. The team behind Jennifer, 42 is crowdfunding through Kickstarter.
The crowdfunding campaign ends October 29th.
