Dirty Water
A hauntingly poetic short film about trauma, silence, and reclamation, where water becomes both wound and cleansing.
A film about reclamation.
Dirty Water is a hauntingly poetic short film that explores the lifelong impact of sexual assault trauma through a non-linear lens. It follows a young woman as she moves through echoes of childhood and adulthood, where innocence collides with loss and the slow work of healing.
Through striking visual metaphors, a shower becoming a rushing river, childhood moments mirrored against adult reality, water recurring as both cleansing and suffocating, the film reveals how trauma lingers in the body and mind without fully defining a life.
Ultimately, Dirty Water is about reclamation. It breaks silence, acknowledges hidden wounds, and illuminates the possibility of healing, inviting survivors to feel seen and asking audiences to confront what too often remains unspoken.
The world behind the film.
A visual introduction to the people who brought Dirty Water to the screen.
Silent presentation · 26 seconds
Beyond the screen, the work continues.
Dirty Water confronts the emotional weight of trauma while holding space for healing, survival, and reclamation. To extend that work beyond the film, we stand with RAINN, the largest anti-sexual-violence organization in North America.
For every survivor who has carried silence, this film is for you.
June 23, 2026