ROCKER SHIRLEY MANSON SIGNS ON TO CUT
Garbage singer will lend her experience to documentary on self-harm
Media Contact: Wendy Schneider, 608.239-5771 or btype35@aol.com
In the documentary Cut, currently in production, a handful of courageous teens will share their experience in the secret world of self-harm.
Among them will be a familiar face to fans of contemporary music – Garbage frontwoman Shirley Manson.
"This is a subject that has long been swept under the carpet,” said Manson. “It needs to be talked about and it needs to be talked about now.”
Manson said she once used cutting to cope with feelings of loss and desperation, and only when she discovered a different outlet in music could she begin to recover. She's not alone – it's estimated that about one percent of Americans experience self-harm.
Several teens in various stages of recovery as well as mental health professionals dedicated to helping them will join Manson in candid interviews in the short subject documentary. The film will also feature professionals from S.A.F.E. Alternatives in Chicago, one of the nation's first inpatient facilities dedicated to exclusively treating self harm.
“Cut addresses an aspect of self-harm that is extremely prevalent,” says Karen Contrario of S.A.F.E. Alternatives. “No school, library or counselor should be without this provocative and educational film.”
Filming will take place during the summer of 2006, after which Schneider and her associates will seek distribution.
Manson will donate all of her time, as Schneider is actively seeking funding for the project. She will welcome sponsorship inquiries and opportunities. A portion of the film's proceeds will be donated for teen treatment.
About the Filmmaker
New York native Wendy Schneider started as a bike messenger for a multimedia production company at 17 years of age. Eight years later, she was creative director for audio production, working on projects for major corporate clients that included the National Geographic Society and the International Center for Photography.
In 1989, she produced her first audio documentary to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the deaths of civil rights activists Goodman, Schwener and Chaney for People for the American Way. That experience led her to eschew the corporate life and move to Madison to attend the Univeristy of Wisconsin in 1990; she has lived in Madison ever since.
Schneider is currently owner and chief engineer at Coney Island Recording Studios, working with independent record labels and bands. She is also founder of Sparkle Dog, a company formed to produce “StoryScapes,” original children's stories set to original music on CD, as well as accompanying educational materials.
Cut is her first film.
