Award Winning Female Empowerment Film "Protectress" Inspires Teen Victims of Sexual Assault

    LOS ANGELES, CA, October 26, 2017 /24-7PressRelease/ -- "Protectress," an award winning fantasy action short film, is impacting women with its message of female empowerment. During battle, a healer duels with her mortal enemy in an unsettling form, facing an impossible choice that will forever forge her destiny as a warrior.

After seeing the film, a group of teen girls at non-profit Eve's Place felt empowered to share their personal experiences with sexual assault in a powerful video to help spread awareness of the alarming statistic that one in three children will experience sexual assault in their lifetime. Eve's Place is a non-profit organization located in Maricopa County, Arizona.

"We are a mobile based advocacy program that works with adults, youth who have been victims of sexual assault, domestic violence, and teen dating violence," says Michelle Linski, lead youth advocate.

"A lot of times those girls feel as though they have no power because it was taken away from them. When the girls watched the film, a lot of them were crying at the end of it. We discussed how it made them feel. After watching the movie, they were more confident in their ability to overcome their victimization." The video can be viewed on YouTube (www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVzAISq0Rr4).

After getting fed up with the roles she was seeing for women in Hollywood, "Protectress" writer, producer, and lead actress Joanna Ke decided to write a film that portrayed strong women. She has seen her share of vapid female characters as a professional script reader and actor (www.joannake.com). She runs the twitter account @femcharacters where she highlights the unfortunate way women are often portrayed on screen.

Ke says, "I firmly believe the world needs more stories in film and television with dynamic women in leading roles. Protectress is a story about choice through the rise of the feminine and re-defining what it means to be strong. The #metoo movement shows this is so needed today. I'm incredibly moved and fulfilled hearing how our film helped these young women heal and find their voice. It proves the point that we are impacted by the way women are depicted on screen."

Since its online premiere, the film has garnered "Best Action" and "Best Fantasy" accolades. Ke has been recognized with an "Inspiring Woman in a Film" award. The feedback she has received the most is that audiences want more of "Protectress." They're in luck, since the short is a proof of concept for a feature with series potential, which Ke is currently developing.

The female empowerment film is viewable online for a few more days, until the end of October. After which, "Protectress" will begin a festival run. Watch it now at http://www.protectressfilm.com.

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