Fantasy Action Film "Protectress" Empowers Women

The end of August marked the online premiere of "Protectress," a dramatic fantasy action short film, and it is already impacting women with its message of female empowerment.

Hailed as "Wonder Woman meets Game of Thrones," the film was written and produced by its star, Joanna Ke. During battle, a healer duels with her mortal enemy in an unsettling form, facing an impossible choice that will forever forge her destiny as a warrior.

Within its first week of premiering online, the film was screened for a group of young women. "I oversee a youth department that works with children and teens who have been victims of sexual assault, domestic violence, teen dating violence, trafficking," says Michelle Linski, lead youth advocate.

"I love alternative coping mechanisms like art, music, and film. A lot of times those girls feel as though they have no power because it was taken away from them. When the girls watched the film, a lot of them were crying at the end of it.

We discussed how it made them feel for about an hour afterwards. They imagined fighting their own demons…After watching the movie they were more confident in their ability to overcome their victimization."

After getting fed up with the roles she was seeing for women in Hollywood, Ke decided to write what she saw the industry was lacking. She has seen her share of vapid female characters as a professional script reader and actor. She runs the twitter account @femcharacters (http://www.twitter.com/femcharacters/) where she highlights the unfortunate way women are often portrayed on screen.

"I firmly believe the world needs more stories in film and television with dynamic women in leading roles. I'm incredibly moved and fulfilled hearing how our film helped these young women heal, and it proves the point that we are impacted by the way women are depicted on screen," Ke says.

Strong women were paramount to the production, both in front of and behind the camera. The production boasts a 50% female crew. Director America Young (http://www.americayoung.com), who brings her experience not only as a director but also as a stunt coordinator and stuntwoman, helms "Protectress." Her years of production experience and geek obsession culminated in Young's recent feature directorial debut with the Stan Lee executive produced pop-culture comedy "The Concessionaires Must Die!!"

Since its release, the feedback Ke and Young have received the most is that audiences want more of "Protectress." They're in luck, since the film is a proof of concept for a feature with series potential, which Ke is currently developing.

The film will be viewable online until the end of October, when "Protectress" will begin a festival run.

Watch it now at www.protectressfilm.com.