(WEST LONG BRANCH, NJ) -- Filmmaker Jessica Vale brings her film Small Small Thing: The Olivia Zinnah Story; a documentary about a 7-year-old Liberian rape victim Olivia Zinnah to Monmouth University’s Wilson Auditorium on Friday, October 16 at 7 p.m. The film is free and open to the public. There will be a Q&A with Vale immediately following the screening.
In December 2012, Olivia Zinnah died of complications from a rape injury caused when she was seven years old. After filmmaker Jessica Vale became personally involved with Olivia and her mother while working on another project in Monrovia, Liberia, her quest to film them became a mission of hope and medical help in a country where rape is the number one crime. Vale explains that, “Olivia's story is not an isolated case. Despite having the first female president in Africa, gender-based violence is rampant in Liberia, with most victims being children. We met many of these girls while making the film. With the release of “Small Small Thing,” we have shed light on yet another country with an epidemic of gender-based violence. Thanks to mounting pressure, President Johnson-Sirleaf launched a new anti-rape campaign in May 2013 and publically acknowledged Olivia's death. But there is still much to do.”
Jessica Vale is an accomplished non-fiction television producer and editor, working freelance for over 12 years. Originally from New Hope, Pennsylvania, Jess graduated from the film program at Temple University. Her credits include work for NBC News, CBS News, National Geographic, History Channel, The Weinstein Co., and more. “Small Small Thing: The Olivia Zinnah Story” is her award winning feature directorial debut which had its worldwide television premiere on Al Jazeera English. The film received high praise and Vale received substantial media attention including appearances on MSNBC's Melissa Harris Perry Show, Huffington Post Live and WABC NY's Weekend Morning Show. Vale is currently post producing “LIV” a feature narrative by director Catherine Eaton, as she works on her next documentary “The Limits of Dissent.” She a member of the NYC chapter of Film Fatales.
The event is sponsored by Monmouth University’s Center for the Arts, The Department of Communication and the Gender Studies Program and is part of the “On Screen: In Person” film series, which brings six films and filmmakers to Monmouth University as part of a tour of the Eastern seaboard. On Screen: In Person is made possible by Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation through the generous support of the National Endowment for the Arts’ Regional Touring Program.
