MEET THE FILMMAKER: Tuesday October 29, 6.15pm. Join filmmakers Donna Lyon and Shannon Owen for a post-film Q&A.

For eight survivors of childhood sexual abuse, a groundbreaking program turns into a journey of recovery, transformation and friendship in this intimate observational documentary from director Shannon Owen that was awarded the Audience Award at MIFF 2024. Affirming the knowledge that trauma resides in both memory and muscle, LEFT WRITE HOOK is a moving account of wounded individuals overcoming troubled pasts, as well as of the healing that survivors can derive from solidarity and fearless storytelling.

The weekly pilgrimage to the gym for the innovative Left Write Hook program goes beyond simply strengthening the body. Guided by coach and academic Donna Lyon, participants Nikki, Dove, Pixie, Lauren, Julie, Gabrielle and Claire learn to box but also to recast the darkest chapters of their pasts into poetry, powerfully reclaiming life narratives. As an eight-week commitment expands into a relationship of 18 months, the women deepen bonds and decide to present their work to the wider world – puncturing the shroud of silence and shame, and reassuring others that they’re not alone.