Renowned international actress Kate del Castillo is joining forces with a Latina filmmaker for an important cause.
On Tuesday, November 25 - the International Day to Eliminate Violence Against Women, film director Kimberly Bautista and her Justice For My Sister Collective in Los Angeles and Guatemala will be launching an international 16-day web series to call for an end this gender-based atrocity as part of the 16 Days Campaign, started in 1996 to raise awareness of domestic violence.
The series will kick off a livestream (8pET/ 5pPST) with del Castillo addressing this underreported issue. Then, 16 related short documentaries will follow on YouTube meant to prevent domestic violence before it happens.
Bautista has been fighting to raise awareness since she finished her award-winning documentary, “Justice For My Sister,” in 2012. According to Bautista’s research for the film, in 2007 only one percent of the almost 600 killings of women in Guatemala were solved. A report recently highlighted the increase in sexual violence against women in El Salvador, and many young women from Central America who have recently crossed the border into the U.S. have alleged they were fleeing violent or abusive situations. Bautista's film, which sheds light on this issue throughout Central America has made the rounds in film festivals in 20 countries around the world. But most importantly, its anti-femicide message has turned into a movement.
Bautista is currently touring throughout Latin America, working with embassies to support the #16DaysofActivism campaign, hosting screenings of “Justice For My Sister” and expanding the educational programs and trainings in domestic violence prevention.
--Kristina Puga