“Journey to Freedom” was scripted based on true stories from clients at Interval House. Actors portrayed the scenes of domestic violence and recognizable Canadians such as Erica Ehm, Linda Sims, Colin Mochrie, Sheila McCarthy, Valerie Pringle, Michael Burgess, and Shae-Lynn Bourne narrated the scenes to offer context to the story. When our direct TV program was finally finished, the Canadian governing body that reviews all commercials prior to air said the program was too violent for broadcast and needed to be edited for air. Shows like “Homicide: Life on the Street” were fine, but a program depicting real domestic violence would make viewers uncomfortable.

Our takeaways from the experience? We were proud to attempt a novel approach to helping people understand real intimate partner violence in Canada. No one was using TV to try to explain what these women were going through. But we were also frustrated that we’d need to temper and sugarcoat these stories to make them palatable. This isn’t fiction, it’s happening right next door in your own neighbourhood.