An Acton filmmaker has started a crowdfunding campaign to raise £7,500 to make a short film drama about male victims of domestic abuse.
According to recent data from the Office of National Statistics, one in three victims of domestic abuse is male which equates to 751,000 men.
Richard Elson, director of Breaking the Silence says he has been working with domestic abuse charities to help raise awareness of the issue.
Mr Elson, who also directed Shadow Trade, an undercover expose of the dog meat trade in Thailand said: “I’m making a short film about a male victim of domestic abuse, this is the first drama I can find about this issue. We have been working closely with domestic abuse charities to help raise awareness of this tragic issue. It has been a genuine shock to us all how many male victims of domestic abuse there are, which is so different from the accepted stereotype.”
Among the charities Mr Elson is working with are the Paul Lavelle Foundation and Mankind Initiative.
Mr Elson added: “With Breaking the Silence we intend to shine a light on this and draw people’s attention to something which could very well be affecting someone they know.”
According to Mr Elson, filming is due to take place in June, with post-production of the film taking place in the Autumn. The finished film is set to be ready for Domestic Abuse Awareness Month taking place in October.
For more information on Breaking the Silence and to help with its crowdfunder, click here.
