Tulsa Women Share Personal Stories of Terror and Triumph in New Film

Wilma Lively, Director of DaySpring Villa Women's and Children's Shelter in Tulsa reports her facility is featured in a new documentary film that spotlights Tulsa-area domestic violence. Here is her press release of March 16, 2010.

DaySpring Villa, one of two domestic violence shelters in the Tulsa metro area, and Oklahoma’s only certified faith-based shelter for battered women and their children, announced today the release of Into the Light, a 40-minute documentary film produced by Comm-Arts that takes a sobering look at domestic violence through the eyes of three Tulsa women and the women of DaySpring Villa who work with victims of abuse.

Wilma Lively, executive director of DaySpring Villa, hopes the film and its message will gain broader attention through screenings at churches, businesses, schools, colleges and other organizations throughout the state.

“I believe people will be quite surprised by what they see and hear in this film,” Lively said. “The three women featured are very candid about their personal experiences and some of what they say is tough to hear, but it was important that we show the reality of domestic violence right here in our own backyard.”

Into the Light follows the stories of Christy, Emily and Amy as they come to terms with their abusive situations and work toward the freedoms they were once forbidden to even consider. Watching these women wrest free of their abuser’s strangleholds and dare to reach for their independence is both heartbreaking and triumphant, and not all three of the women succeed. This, said Lively, underscores the harsh reality of domestic violence as the average number of times a woman returns to her abuser before permanently ending the relationship is an astonishing 13.

“These women demonstrated amazing courage by not only agreeing to appear in the film but by dispelling the myth that a victim of domestic violence looks a certain way,” said Vickie Dawkins-Kersey, director of Into the Light. “Our goal was to capture their experiences honestly and with integrity, but also to show audiences how lives can be literally transformed as a result of organizations like DaySpring Villa.”

Businesses, churches, organizations and cinematic venues are encouraged to reserve a copy of Into the Light by calling Wilma Lively at 918-245-4075. To learn more about DaySpring Villa, visit www.dayspringvilla.com.