Home abuse consciousness movie starring Billie Piper takes dwelling prestigious award
‘Make the world a Refuge’, a strong quick movie exploring the varied types of home abuse, has been awarded Charity Movie of the 12 months 2025 on the Smiley Charity Movie Awards.
Introduced at a ceremony in London on Thursday 20th March, ‘Make the World a Refuge’ claimed the largest award of the evening for its very important position in elevating consciousness of home abuse.
The movie was created by Refuge, the most important specialist home abuse service supplier within the nation, in collaboration with its ambassador, world-renowned actor Billie Piper, and London-based artistic company AMV BBDO. Directed by BAFTA-winning ‘I Hate Suzie’ & ‘Kaos’ director Georgi Banks-Davies, it brings a strong, uncooked portrayal of the realities of home abuse.
Launched in late 2024, the movie depicts Billie studying real-life testimonies from survivors of home abuse, permitting their tales to be heard whereas defending their anonymity.
The testimonies embrace examples of coercive management, technology-facilitated abuse and monetary abuse – alongside bodily violence. Controlling behaviour is on the coronary heart of all types of home abuse and may current itself in a mess of the way, akin to monitoring a survivor’s cellphone or isolating them from their household and mates.
New information launched by Refuge earlier this month revealed that the true scale of home abuse is considerably underestimated, with solely 1 / 4 of UK adults (26%) conscious that 1 in 4 ladies will expertise it of their lifetime.
In response to those findings, and as a observe as much as ‘Make the World a Refuge’, Refuge launched a highly effective new marketing campaign for Worldwide Girls’s Day (IWD) on eighth March designed to reveal the hidden risks ladies face in abusive relationships.
Billie Piper mentioned:
“Platforming survivor voices is significant in tackling home abuse, so ‘Make the World a Refuge’ was an extremely necessary undertaking for me. The movie’s impression has been really outstanding, and I’m honoured to have lent my voice to those survivors’ phrases. Nevertheless, we can not cease speaking about home abuse and the various methods it might probably manifest. Understanding the indicators of abuse might save a life, and I hope this movie continues to point out survivors that they don’t seem to be alone.”
Gemma Sherrington, CEO of Refuge, mentioned:
“I’m thrilled Refuge’s impactful quick movie has obtained this spectacular accolade from the Smiley Charity Movie Awards. As our new information demonstrates, the prevalence of home abuse remains to be severely underestimated. We should preserve elevating consciousness in regards to the various indicators of abuse so that every one survivors can entry the assist they deserve.”
Laura Burnell, Head of Communications & Advertising and marketing at Refuge, who accepted the award on the evening, mentioned:
“The ambiance on the ceremony was electrical, and it was extremely transferring to see the movie obtain such recognition. It was a proud second for all of us to honour the bravery of the survivors whose tales made the movie attainable, and to know that it’s making an actual impression in elevating consciousness of domestic abuse.”
