GROOMED, Co-Producer
HOW SEXUAL ABUSE REALLY HAPPENS.
Groomed is the intimate story of filmmaker Gwen van de Pas as she returns to her hometown in search of answers about the man who sexually abused her as a child.
To understand her ongoing traumas, Gwen travels to meet survivors, psychologists, and even a convicted sex offender. The film addresses a common yet unknown manipulation type called ‘grooming’, how to recognize it, and ultimately, how to stop it.
What begins as an exploration into grooming becomes a dramatic journey where Gwen faces unexpected revelations in her case, finally finds her anger, and boldly confronts the evil we’d rather ignore.
Groomed was my first foray into documentary features. I remember Gwen, the director and now a dear friend, said to me when I expressed doubts I could be a “producer”: “Dana, you can do it. We both don’t know what we’re doing so might as well just keep going.” It was both of our first films. And so we figured out, and did it well! It turned out Gwen was a fantastic first-time director and I ended up loving producing!
The subject matter of this film was incredibly difficult, but it was made easier by the bravery of Gwen and the other women we spoke with for this film.
- Dana