A Better Man

Co-directed by Attiya Khan and Lawrence Jackman, A Better Man is an intimate and often emotionally hard film to watch as it deals with domestic abuse. What makes this documentary personal, intimate, is that both the abuser and the abused are on-camera in sometimes raw, sometimes incredibly sad and sometimes highly revealing sequences as they retrace their relationship, a relationship that ended some 20 years ago. What makes it incredibly moving is that the abused partner is one of the filmmakers, Attiya Khan, who had become a domestic abuse councillor, and her former boyfriend and ex-abuser (identified only as Steve) in a series of filmed meetings in which they search for some understanding of their past and the reasons behind the abuse. Production began in April of 2013 when they met at a coffee shop for their first filmed meeting. They would go on to film for eight days spread over the course of a year, sharing memories and experiences. Some scenes were shot with a fellow abuse councillor, Tod Augusta-Scott.

A Better Man had its World Premiere at the 2017 Hot Docs Film Festival in Toronto. In August of 2017 Attya Khan was given the Sabeen Mahmud award for Courage in Cinema for her work on this film.