Filmmaker Dawna Sirard’s latest project is one that she holds dear to her heart and hopes will make a difference in the world. Life Abstract, from KaDa Films, tells the powerful story of a withdrawn, young lesbian who finds art therapy as a means of recovery from painful memories of child abuse.

Sirard, a Connecticut native and the film’s writer and director, has worked on the script for five years. “I was working in L.A. as a prop designer for movies and TV and got interested in film,” she said. “I moved home and attended Smith College to study film. I started working on a short film, and once I graduated, I worked on it more exclusively, and it snowballed and expanded to what it is today.”

The film’s story is very personal to Sirard. “I grew up in Thompson, Conn. It’s a small area, but one with one of the highest rates of child abuse in the state,” she said. “The story is sort of autobiographical.”

Sirard and her team want people to know that there is hope. “Just because you may start from a dark place, there is always a way out of that. We thought art therapy was a wonderful visual way to suggest that recovery can lead to amazing changes in your life if you’re willing to do it,” Sirard said.

The film is also getting great support from the LGBT community. “It just so happens that the lead characters are lesbians and there is a love story involved,” Sirard said. “They are really supportive, but not just because of that, but because of the story itself and the message of recovery.

While the film industry can be tough, Sirard believed in her film and worked to get individuals and organizations interested. “When you first start out [in the film industry], it’s hard to break into everything, but I kept persisting. The script is so strong that eventually people started listening. It’s fantastic to see people coming on board and seeing other people passionate about the story.”

Through persistence, a strong message and incredible support, Sirard is on her way to getting the film out there. “We started brainstorming ways to raise money. We wanted to be creative and build up this community for the film,” she said.

To raise funds for the film’s production, Sirard and her team will host the Voices for Hope Benefit Concert at Mechanics Hall in Worcester on April 18. The event will host an impressive musical lineup on two stages.

The band Uh Huh Her will headline with main stage performers Antigone Rising, Sick of Sarah, Bitch, Kristen Merlin and Melissa Ferrick and Catie Curtis, with Suzanne Westenhoefer as the emcee. Second stage performers include Lauren Bateman, The Last Year, Bethel Steele, Run Jenny, Kim Jennings and Wendy Sobel and Kathy Phipps.

There are additional events scheduled around the concert, including a pre-concert party on Friday, April 17, a VIP party prior to the concert and a wrap party after the concert.

Sirard and her team have also teamed up with organizations Darkness to Light and the American Art Therapy Association to plan a series of outreach events that will happen alongside the screening of the film once it’s finished.

“Once the film is complete and screens at different festivals, reps from both organizations will attend and do roundtable community outreach events to get people talking about what they saw in the film, ways to recognize child abuse, resources for child abuse, etc.” Sirard said.

The film will begin production in July. Due to the national and widespread attention the film is getting, Sirard said A-list actors are in the running for the lead roles, but she hopes to pull as much local talent as possible for the supporting actors and crew.

While this project started as a short film and has evolved into an anticipated feature film, Sirard’s goal has always remained the same. “We’re hoping not to make a film, but a movement,” she said. “We want to change things in this country about child abuse and get people talking. We hope this film will be a catalyst for that.”

For more information about the concert, visit www.vfh.rocks. Tickets for the event are on sale on Ticketmaster. For more information about Life Abstract, visit lifeabstract.org, Facebook and Twitter.

By Rachel Shuster