Award Winning Documentary
The Children Next Door
Critic’s Score: A – “Heartbreaking and cathartic…By putting a very human face to a widespread epidemic, Block and ‘The Children Next Door’ both humanize and celebrate the children who survive horrific family tragedies.”
The first film to view domestic violence through the lens of childhood
Our award-winning documentary, THE CHILDREN NEXT DOOR (TCND), is the first film to look at domestic violence through the lens of childhood. It shines the light on a hidden epidemic that impacts 1 billion lives globally but has very little awareness.
The film comes paired with a Film Discussion Guide, which guides the user step by step through the process of hosting a formal or informal screening and navigating a meaningful post-screening discussion.
The film was screened at 45 leading film festivals and received multiple awards, which include:
- Winner – Special Jury Prize – Seattle True independent Film Festival
- Winner – Special Jury Award – DOC NYC
- Winner – Best Documentary – Paterson Falls Film Festival
- Official Selection – Hollywood Film Festival
- Official Selection – Breckenridge Festival of Film
- Special Jury Mention – St. Louis International Film Festival
- Official Selection – STARZ Denver Film Festival
The Children Next Door film trailer
TRIGGER WARNING! The content in this video may be strongly disturbing to some viewers and may trigger strong emotions and reactions. Viewer discretion is strongly advised. NOT recommended for viewers under 15 years of age without parental supervision.
TCND is a stirring portrayal of 2 generations of Childhood Domestic Violence (#CDV) – which is the SINGLE BEST PREDICTOR of domestic violence later in life – and its insidious cyclical nature. It takes us on a young family’s journey to uncover the TRUTH that lies beneath a recurring cycle of violence and the solutions to end it.
What people say about The Children Next Door
The Children Next Door is a powerful and stunning documentary that shows us just how much children are affected by family violence.
Wow – intense and powerful! The Children Next Door is so well put together in that it clearly demonstrates why we need to make aware this epidemic of child domestic violence, educate about CDV, share our personal stories of CDV, and prepare to serve the children in our own sphere of geographic influence.
Doug Block’s searing short…attains a level of pathos as deep as any feature-length documentary.
It’s a masterpiece – smart, tough, fearless, miraculously compact.
Screening the Children Next Door serves as a building block for other groundbreaking tools
The film is the first of its kind to introduce the subject of childhood domestic violence. It was produced for a young adult and adult audience in mind.
It also provides messages shared through our CHANGE A LIFE program. This simple, straightforward program is designed to teach a caring adult how to become The ONE for a child growing up in a home living with domestic violence. The one to help a child feel understood and heard. The one to help a child know that it isn’t their fault and that a child is never responsible for controlling the actions of an adult.
In addition, The Children Next Door supplements other tools including BE THE ONE training for professionals, and our LIES & TRUTHS WORKSHEETS.