HELPING HAND: Kering Foundation has supported La Maison des Femmes — a care center in the Paris suburb of Saint-Denis for women in difficulty or victims of violence — since it was founded in 2016 by obstetrician and gynecologist Dr. Ghada Hatem.
Now it is also backing a feature film directed by Mélisa Godet that delves into how this unique center attached to a hospital addresses gender-based and sexual violence and tailors its multidisciplinary care to the needs of victims.
It is billed as a one-stop shop, covering medical, psychological, legal and social assistance for victims and their children. The film is meant to raise public awareness of a widespread problem and what Kering describes as “an exemplary, proven model of care.”
“From our first meeting with Ghada Hatem, we were convinced by the model adopted by the Maison des Femmes to support victims of violence,” François-Henri Pinault, chairman and chief executive officer of Kering and president of the Kering Foundation, said in a statement Thursday. “By supporting the film inspired by it, we hope to contribute to giving greater visibility to this essential cause, to the Maisons des Femmes and to all the professionals committed to working alongside them.”
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Now in post-production, the French-language production is due on screens Nov. 12. The cast includes Karin Viard, Laetitia Dosch, Oulaya Amamra, Eye Haidara, Pierre Deladonchamps, Juliette Armanet and Jean-Charles Clichet. The film chronicles how professionals care for and listen to women who are victims of violence, and help them to rebuild their lives.
In 2021, the Kering Foundation committed, alongside the French government, to finance the creation of 15 such care centers in France, based on the model of the original Maison des Femmes in Saint-Denis. To date, seven have opened, according to the foundation, which was created in 2008 and focused on fighting violence against women and children.
