Premiere of Emily Skyle’s film, “#NOMORE”

May 3, 2018May 4, 2018 Dana Nollsch 0 Comments

We have a voice.

We will be heard.

We are a victim-NO MORE

~Written by Tele Raack~

My daughter, Taylor Raack-McAuliffe, and I were present for the Black-Tie premiere of Emily Skyle’s short, docu-drama, “#NOMORE” held inside the GSR’s Grand Theatre and was well attended.

Born from Emily Skyle’s personal experience, it is a story that she has carried inside for many years, as have many women (and men) and was inspired by the #METOO movement. The film, while short in length and made with limited resources of time and budget, was long on impact and will have a lasting ripple effect.

The two main characters of the film were Parker played by Riley Blossom Mckinney, who portrayed a young teen girl who was sexually assaulted by the male “jock” character Jackson played by Evan Faunce. The setting and individuals were depicted in such a way that they could have been any male or female student in any frat house in any town. The difference in the particular circumstance was the choice made by the victim to take back her power by turning her #metoo into everyone’s #nomore.

The symbolism of the mattress as a place upon which many assaults are committed became the canvas upon which to proclaim the stories and breaks the silence of the pain and suffering that not just Parker, but others were also moved to do.

Loralee Rae, Mia Kuzens, Jordan Hughes, Mary Ann Ricciardi
Photo by Tele Raack

Lending their voices to the cause were Andi Guevara, of KTVN, who was MC for the evening, as well as Elisa Garcia and Grace Hayes who both gave moving performances. Elisa shared a poem about what had at one time been a cherished childhood memory surrounding a yearly event that would later become associated with a sexual assault, stripping away the joy it had once held for her. Grace gave a beautiful performance about courage and strength with her rendition of the song “I Rise Up.”

The Q&A Panel, moderated by Scott Birmingham of KRNV, was comprised of award-winning filmmaker, Emily Skyle, the creator and Director of the film along with representatives from various local agencies. These included Clinical Psychologist, Erin Oskol., Safe Embrace, a Domestic & Sexual Violence Intervention and Prevention Program, SASS (Sexual Assault Support Services) and Campus Victim Advocate Program, a free and confidential service on campus at UNR.

Executive Assistant Jackie McKinney
Photo by Tele Raack

The film has served as a catalyst for opening up dialogue about the topic of sexual abuse. A few of the comments from the audience revolved around ways to introduce young children to information that will empower them to know what is acceptable and what is not when it comes to their bodies without doing so at the expense of their innocence. It was proposed that there be education early on about human sexuality and sensuality so that there is a healthy introduction and understanding in these areas instead of just the clinical sex ed that is currently the standard. Changing the use of the wording from “alleged” sexual assault to “reported” sexual assault for pending cases was another suggestion.

Taylor Raack-McAuliffe with Brady Griffiths, Field Outreach Director for Marsy’s Law in Nevada
Photo by Tele Raack

Whether you agree with these thoughts or not, it is a big step to share ideas that can raise awareness and help put changes in place that better support victims of sexual abuse. To this avail, there were organizations on hand to discuss the services that they have to offer in our community. One of which was Brady Griffiths, the Field Outreach Director for Marsy’s Law who is working to get Equal Rights for Crime Victims passed. More information is available at nv.marsyslaw.us

In addition to being a Red Carpet event with before and after parties and celebrations, the premiere was informative and educational. Local agencies working together to provide individuals with the resources they need were on hand at the premiere and included SASS, Safe Embrace, Crises Call Center, and Campus Victim Advocate Program. You can reach these agencies to find out more about the ways that they are offering services in our community.

Sexual Assault Support Services (SASS) 775.221.7600 crisiscallcenter.org/sass

Safe Embrace 775.322.3466 safeembrace.org

Campus Victim Advocate Program 775.771.8724 CampusAdvocate@crisiscallcenter.org

Crisis Call Center 775.784.8090 http://crisiscallcenter.org/

The movie “#NOMORE” will be shown in film festivals over the next few months.

https://www.nomore-thefilm.com/

Here is the list of the cast and the crew for “#NOMORE”

Written & Directed by: Emily Skyle

Producers: Tyler Bourns, Alphonse Polito, Ryan Golden

Associate Producer: Kelli Blincoe

Executive Producer: Emily Skyle

Parker: Riley McKinney