12 documentaries that testify to sexual assault

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It takes tremendous courage to report an abuser. Time is needed to absorb events, measure their impact, rebuild confidence, dare to confess the crime suffered. When it comes to sexual assault, there are no big or small harms. There are only gestures that disturb, break, mortgage the lives of those who have not asked for anything. Reporting is a choice. Reporting is a right. Denouncing can liberate and make you want to do useful work, often thanks to an intimate and personal approach or sometimes in front of the cameras.  

Témoin C.F.

Attacks happen in all walks of life. No one is immune, not even our elected officials. Journalists from the Quebecor Bureau of Investigation, Marie-Christine Noël and Mathieu Carnasse, accompanied the Mayor of Longueuil, Catherine Fournier, in her legal proceedings against former MP Harold LeBel. At the time of the events, Ms. Fournier belonged to the same party as her attacker. During her arrest in December 2020, the mayor's name momentarily came out in the media, despite a publication ban. This clumsiness, which could have been harmful to her, Catherine Fournier wanted to seize it to do useful work. The team thus had access to all stages of the process: complaint, testimony, trial, sentence. This documentary also allows us to see the support that is offered to victims whose primary desire is quite simply to be believed.

◆ Broadcast on Vrai

You just have to file a complaint 

Léa Clermont-Dion also had to go through a legal process following an assault committed by her boss, a well-known man, when she was an intern … at 17 years old. For a long time, we even tried to silence her and her efforts were riddled with pitfalls that could have discouraged her. His speech was nonetheless liberating. With other women, she testifies, in addition to calling on several experts, journalist, politician, lawyer and representative of a victim support center. 

◆ Distributed on Noovo.ca 

For a culture of consent

The statistics are worrying. It is said that one in three women is a victim of sexual assault in Canada. Only 5% of assaults are reported to the police. And despite the movement of denunciations, there are always attacks and always women who prefer to remain silent. This is the premise of this documentary by Jonathan and Jean-Laurence Seaborn who followed the Quebec movement against sexual violence and Viol-Secours for 4 years to give a voice to victims and those who fight for them.

◆ Broadcast on ICI Tou.tv

The Perfect Victim

Monic Néron and Émilie Perreault were among the first journalists to report the testimonies of victims during the outbreak of the #moiaussi movement in Quebec 5 years ago. With this documentary film, they wanted to follow victims through the maze of the legal system. Their observation? To get by in the criminal complaint process, you have to be above reproach. We are talking about a time not so long ago, barely two years ago, when denunciations rained down on social networks for lack of confidence in justice. 

◆ Aired on HERE Tou.tv

And now 

Another frightening statistic: one in four women and one in ten men were victims of sexual assault when they were minors in Quebec. For several years, Mélissa Désormeaux-Poulin has supported the Marie-Vincent Foundation, which supports young people who are victims of sexual violence. With this documentary, she continues her commitment. Five adults who were victims of aggressors in their childhood testify with their faces uncovered. They are courageous, lucid and resilient and want their testimonies to bring about change.  

◆ Broadcast on Vrai

Pray for us

For too long the Church has turned a blind eye to the sexual abuse that its members have inflicted on its faithful. It is infinite sadness, abuse of power, of trust and the weight of a sin that is all the heavier to bear when one is a believer. This series documents the control of a priest who for years abused a hundred women in Saguenay. For those who have spoken, denouncing is a beginning of healing and taking legal action, a beginning of reconstruction. 

◆ Aired on Crave 

Weinstein: The Investigation – Catch and Kill 

Another sexual predator who has used his power and his money to assault women dreaming of Hollywood for more than 20 years: Harvey Weinstein. He is the symbol of the #Metoo movement. The famous producer, multiple Oscar winner, has claimed many victims. These six episodes illustrate the testimonies that Ronan Farrow collected for his podcast. Actresses, models, employees, but also journalists and detectives confide in his microphone about the strategists of this predator who is now languishing in prison.

◆ Aired on Crave 

The Case Against Cosby

Bill Cosby has made several generations laugh. On the small screen, he was the head of the most popular Afro-descendant family in America. Behind the scenes, he multiplied the attacks. But of the 63 women who had the courage to accuse their executioner, only Andrea Constand, a Canadian basketball player, was successful. After 15 years of fighting to get the law in his favor. She fought for herself and for all those who could not be heard. Other survivors testify in this documentary. Despite speaking out, the trauma remains deep. A great story of courage.

◆ Aired on CBC GEM 

Allen vs Farrow

Woody Allen has been at the heart of a dispute between him and his family for several years. His daughter, Dylan Farrow, accuses him of sexual assault when she was only 7 years old. His wife at the time, Mia Farrow, always fought for her children. Allen then left with one of his adopted daughters, Soon-Yi… whom he married. These four episodes paint a very bad picture of the filmmaker who would have developed an obsession for his daughter. Dylan regrets not having pursued the steps to have him formally accused. The legal process is not easier in the United States and his case was high profile. In short, it is a family with twisted and toxic relationships. Famous and broken people.

◆ Airing on Crave

Jeffrey Epstein:Filthy Rich 

Jeffrey Epstein is a despicable being. He assaulted many young women in the name of money and power. Other documentary series, including Surviving Jeffrey Epstein(Crave), recounted the crooked and dishonest maneuvers of the wealthy businessman. It took the courage of women to prove that wealth cannot be above the law and that rape is still rape. Survivors testify here with great confidence. Specialists expose the strategies of the one who provided girls to other high people (greetings to Prince Andrew), not all of whom were splashed.  

◆ Broadcast on Netflix

Sexual violence in sport, the investigation

We have heard a lot about attacks in the cultural field, but the sports field is also conducive to abuse. As soon as there is a balance of power, there are malicious people who abuse it. The stories follow one another: in gymnastics, swimming, skating, hockey. It is said that one in seven athletes will experience sexual assault before the age of 18. Another appalling statistic brought to light and documented here by Arte France.

◆ Broadcast on telequebec.tv

Raël Qc< /em> 

Their names are Sonia, Carmen, Roxane, Sabrina, Marie. They all believed in Rael, adhered to his practices and were broken by this guru. This documentary by Arnaud Bouquet lifts the veil on this guide to free love who, moreover, married a 16-year-old teenager, Sophie. Several witnesses recount his attraction to very young women and explain how he classified disciples whom he called angels. This visionary who believed in extraterrestrials and campaigned for cloning had questionable practices that we now dare to talk about.

◆ Broadcast on Vrai