AND SO I STAYED
Film poster for "And So I Stayed" with close up of woman looking away.
AND SO I STAYED
Film poster for "And So I Stayed" with close up of woman looking away.
The stories of incarcerated abuse survivors fighting for their lives shows how the legal system gets domestic violence wrong

AND SO I STAYED

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SIMA 2023 SYSTEMIC CHANGE AWARD | SPIRIT AND AUDIENCE AWARD WINNER - Brooklyn Film Festival (World Premiere)

Criminalized Survival • Liberation • Grassroots Activism • Generational Trauma • Domestic Violence • Court & Prison System • Post-Traumatic Stress • Gender-Based & Family Violence

Date of Completion: 2021 | Run Time: 91 minutes​​ | Language: English | Captions: Yes | Includes: Transcript & Study Guide (Available Upon Purchase) | Directors: Natalie Pattillo & Daniel A. Nelson | Producers: Natalie Pattillo & Daniel A. Nelson | Writer: Natalie Pattillo | Director of Photography: Daniel A. Nelson | Cinematographer: Julian Lim | Associate Producer: Julian Lim | Executive Producer: Natalie Schreyer | Editor: Tyler H. Walk | Composer: Osei Essed

AND SO I STAYED is an award-winning documentary about survivors of domestic violence who are unjustly incarcerated for killing their abusers in self-defense. These women paid a steep price with long prison sentences, lost time with loved ones, and painful memories. Formerly incarcerated survivor-advocate Kim Dadou Brown, who met her wife while in prison, is a driving force in the passage of New York’s Domestic Violence Survivors Justice Act (DVSJA), a new law meant to prevent survivors from receiving harsh prison sentences for their acts of survival. Nikki Addimando, a mother of two young children, suffered the consequences when a judge didn’t follow the law’s guidelines. Tanisha Davis, a single mother who was ripped away from her son in 2013, is hopeful the new law is her way out of a harsh prison sentence.

Educational Media Reviews Online | Reviewed by Gisèle Tanasse, University of California Berkeley
Highly Recommended "[A] truly unique addition to a growing field of feature-length documentaries focused on the experiences of incarcerated women by women filmmakers."

The New York Times
"A heartfelt window into domestic abuse."

Chicago Tribune
"Victims of domestic violence see their struggle in film."

ABC | Kyra Phillips, Anchor
"Two directors are shining a light on survivors of abuse."

Vox | Marin Cogan
“In focusing on the stories of survivors, the filmmakers challenge viewers to reconsider some of the dominant narratives about women and violence.”

Prism | Tamar Sarai, Writer
“And So I Stayed disrupts how [true crime] encourages us to think about crime, harm, violence, and those who survive it.”

AWARDS
Spirit and Audience Award for Best Documentary | Brooklyn Film Festival
Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature | St. Louis International Film Festival
Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature | Monadnock International Film Festival
Systemic Change Award | SIMA Awards

For a full list of upcoming and past screenings, please visit here: https://andsoistayedfilm.com/upcomingscreenings

Director and writer Natalie Pattillo has been making films, writing, and reporting on gender-based violence, liberation, and activism for nearly a decade, covering stories about survivors of abuse who are criminalized for their acts of survival. She speaks with audiences about the nuances of intimate partner and family violence and how systems can fail survivors of abuse; what communities can do to support survivors before, during, and after crisis; why survivors of abuse shouldn't be treated as a monolith or why there is no "perfect victim"; breaking the harmful cycles of generational trauma; and what healing justice can look like for those impacted by family violence; and the importance of trauma-informed filmmaking and storytelling.

Director, Producer & Director of Photography of AND SO I STAYED

REQUEST A GOOD TALK WITH DANIEL NELSON

Co-Director/Producer/Director of Photography Daniel Nelson has been studying intimate partner violence for nearly a decade. He emphasizes a trauma-informed approach in filmmaking, which is desperately needed when making films about sensitive issues. As a Director of Photography and Cinematographer, Daniel is acutely aware of the power dynamic that having large camera gear can bring to a set and makes sure he is transparent about that with the people in front of the camera before recording.
Mrs. Kim Dadou Brown is a domestic violence survivor who served 17 years in prison for defending herself from her abuser. During the fourteen years she’s been home, Kim has spoken publicly to a wide variety of audiences about the intersection of trauma and women’s incarceration at conferences, panels, forums and symposiums. Most recently Kim was a featured Survivor in the Brooklyn Film Festival award winning documentary, AND SO I STAYED. Kim has also conducted numerous interviews about her experiences and ideas for change and has lobbied and testified in Albany for legislative changes for survivors in the criminal justice system. Kim has been a leading voice in the passage of the Domestic Violence Survivors Justice Act. Kim’s story and advocacy efforts have been featured in prominent media including ABC Nightline (12/22), The New York Times Arts section (6/14/21), the Legislative Gazette, Huffington Post, “Women In Prison are still waiting for their Me Too moment.”, Albany Times Union, North Country Public Radio, Gannett, New York Law Journal and the NYSCADV Annual Conference 2019. LawLine DVSJA / Jan. 2020.
Kim’s story was also featured on New York 1 and New York NOW and she appeared as a guest expert on the Melissa Harris-Perry show. Mrs. Dadou Brown was a leading member of the Coalition for Women Prisoners’ Domestic Violence Survivors Justice Act ten year long Campaign. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from Mercy College.