Groundbreaking documentary “A Better Man” to premiere at Hot Docs 2017

TVO is pleased to announced that the documentary, A Better Man, produced by the National Film Board of Canada in association with TVO, has been selected to make its world premiere on Sunday, April 30 as part of the Hot Docs Festival’s Canadian Spectrum Screening Program, showcasing the work of Canadian directors.  A Better Man is the story of a survivor of domestic abuse who confronts her past.

“TVO has a long-standing tradition of supporting Canadian documentary filmmakers, and I’d like to congratulate directors Attiya Khan and Lawrence Jackman on the film’s official selection for Hot Docs, North America’s largest documentary festival,” says John Ferri, TVO’s Vice President, Current Affairs and Documentaries. “A Better Man will serve as a catalyst for wider public conversation around the issue of domestic abuse and its causes. TVO is committed to engaging citizens in the important questions of how we live our lives and connect with each other.”

The film’s co-director, Toronto-based writer, activist and speaker Attiya Khan, was abused daily by her partner Steve when they dated as teenagers. In A Better Man, Attiya revisits the abuse 20 years later with Steve, radically changing the conversation by exploring their relationship and the abuse from his perspective. Watch the trailer.

A Better Man will have its broadcast premiere on TVO during the 2017-18 season, and will be accompanied by a comprehensive online space that shifts the conversation about violence against women by including the perspectives of men who have taken responsibility for hurting others.

Also at Hot Docs 2017 is a special retrospective on the films of Canadian filmmaker Maya Gallus. The retrospective will showcase six of her films, of which five were either commissioned by TVO or have premiered on TVO: Dish: Women, Waitressing and the Art of ServiceElizabeth Smart: On the Side of the Angels; Erotica: A Journey into Female SexualityGirl Inside; and The Mystery of Mazo de la Roche.

For screening times, tickets and more information, visit hotdocs.ca.