HAVE YOU SEEN HER?

LOST IN THE WORLD 

Corrective rape is a hate crime in which people are raped because of their sexual orientation. The intended result of corrective rape, as perceived by the perpetrator, is to turn the person heterosexual. This term was first coined in South Africa after well-known cases of corrective rapes of lesbians like Eudy Simelane and Zoliswa Nkonyana became public. Some countries may have laws protecting the LGBT community but corrective rape more often than not, goes unnoticed.

Where is Whitney? She is a police officer whose girlfriend Palesa is killed through corrective rape. Whitney goes on a manhunt to find the perpetrators. The lost in the world social media campaign revolves around the lead character, Whitney who disappears following the corrective rape and murder of her girlfriend. A missing persons report has been opened all over facebook, twitter and instagram. Images of Whitney’s missing poster have been held by strangers alongside the plea "Have You Seen Her?" with the hashtags: #LITW #EpicShort #WorkForADifference.




Interest has been growing around this missing person- who she is and what happened to her- thus questions around corrective rape and the lack of legal penalties around corrective rape are becoming open to discussion. In South Africa, for example where same sex marriage is legal, corrective rape has become a fear, that lesbian women, fearfully and openly live with.








Corrective rapes are further disregarded by law enforcement because of a lack of consideration and empathy. Despite homosexuality being legal in South Africa, it still suffers the chauvinism of its societal values contributed heavily by its historical missionary Christian past.

South Africa is quickly becoming the rape capital of the world due to the lack of pursuit of persecution for perpetrators. Horrors of rape in the past led to acts of caution and alertness, however, when one experiences rape and on the extreme spectrum, the murder of a lesbian woman, the silence tends to be deafening which leads to powerlessness, acceptance and normality of living in fear.

"Lost in the World," crew led by director Xolelwa Ollie Nhlabatsi are set out to bring to light the roots and consequences of the misconception that a man can "set a lesbian straight."




The crew needs $50,000 to make this film. This includes:

1. Hiring Crew and Actors
2. Hiring Locations, Equipment and Props
3. Shooting the Film
4. Editing, adding Music Score and Visual Effects
5. Creating Perk packages
6. Having a Premiere and finally sending the film to Film Festivals



Xolelwa Ollie Nhlabatsi's Purpose

“I had a script written about a woman hell-bent on revenge but felt it was too fantastical and had no real world weight. The original script was inspired by Kanye West’s, “Lost in the World” track, which describes how he’s trying to rebuild his life after a traumatic experience (This is my interpretation). I then decided to meld my script with the experiences from above.

The goal of the film is to motivate and/or inspire all women who have suffered loss or endured tough situations. To let them know that they aren’t alone or don’t need to cower away. I want these women to take a note from the women in my life. Through struggle or heartbreak there is a glimmer of hope. Not necessarily to go on a killing spree but to find the strength to fight back however they can. I felt the hero in my story, Whitney, could embody the anger and need for vengeance the women from the football team have.”



Watch the campaign video here
Watch the trailer here
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