About this project
A TRUE STORY OF FIERCE LOVE
AND BLIND JUSTICE
No Way Out But One is a documentary that tells the story of Holly Collins, an American woman who was driven by fear, love and desperation to kidnap her own children and go on the run in order to protect them from a life of abuse. Wanted by the FBI, Holly left behind everything she owned and everyone she knew in an effort to keep her children safe. She became an international fugitive, eventually making it to Amsterdam. After spending 2 years in a refugee camp out in the middle of nowhere, living shoulder to shoulder with other desperate souls fleeing violence torn hell holes around the world, Holly became the first American woman to ever be granted asylum by the Government of the Netherlands, due to domestic violence. Though it focuses on the desperate measures that one woman felt she had to take to protect her children, it also exposes the problems that protective parents and vulnerable children are facing nearly every day in courtrooms across the country.
Young Jennifer and Zachary with the other children in the refugee center
After the family had been living quietly in the Netherlands for 14 years, the FBI found them and came calling. By then the children had "aged out" of court supervision and they told the FBI that, in their eyes, their mother was not a kidnapper, but a hero, who had saved their lives. Eventually, all charges against Holly were dropped.
Today, Holly's children all thrive. They are warm and gracious and caring. And Holly and her kids are preparing to return to America.
No Way Out But One follows on the groundbreaking work of producer Garland Waller’s previous award-winning documentary Small Justice. It examined the failure of the Family Court System to protect children from abuse. It is the secret shame of the American Court system and one that is virtually ignored by the mainstream media.
Barry Nolan and crew interview Holly in her home outside Amsterdam
What the Kickstarter Funds Will Be Used For:
We have produced a 13-minute extended preview of No Way Out But One and are seeking funds to complete the post-production of a full length version that will include additional interviews in Minnesota and material from Holly's FBI files. We have been informed by the FBI that we can expect to receive the files from our FOIA request in the next few weeks.
When completed, besides being a gripping and inspiring tale in and of itself, the film can be used by advocacy groups across the country to educate, to persuade, and to bring attention to the crying need for change in the Child and Family Courts systems.
No Way Out But One is based on extensive interviews with Holly and her family, medical professionals, lawyers, and child advocates. Filming has been completed in The Netherlands, Boston, Washington DC, and New York. The producers have culled through thousands of pages of court and medical records, unpublished journals, news reports, family photos and videos. Our Freedom of Information Act request to the FBI for Holly’s files, resulted in the identification of nearly 1,000 pages of never before seen material.
Holly and all her kids - this spring in Holland
The Larger Picture: Exposing a National Scandal
No Way Out But One tells the story of one woman and her family but it is emblematic of a much larger heartbreaking national scandal. In Child and Family Court systems across the country, those who abuse their children are all too often awarded custody of them by the very courts charged with protecting them.
It is estimated that 58,000 children a year are ordered into unsupervised contact with physically or sexually abusive parents following divorce in the United States.
Holly's case is by no means an isolated example. View some of the interviews producer Garland Waller conducted at the annual Battered Mothers Custody Conference.
As it stands today, the Family Court System is far too often a dysfunctional and dangerous place for children. It is a system desperately in need of change.
Executive Producer - Garland Waller
FAQ
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Funding Successful
This project successfully raised its funding goal on July 5, 2011.
Pledge $5 or more Pledge $5 or more
Contribute $5 in honor of someone you know, a protective parent, a child in the middle, someone you love, or someone who is absent from your lfie, and leave a message honoring them on our Kickstarter site.
Pledge $10 or more Pledge $10 or more
Every donor of $10 or more will receive a letter of thanks and can choose to receive e-mailed updates about the film and the issue.
Pledge $25 or more Pledge $25 or more
Every donor of $25 or more will have their name listed on the No Way Out But One website as a supporter. They will also receive a letter of thanks and can choose to receive e-mailed updates about the film and the issue.
Pledge $50 or more Pledge $50 or more
Every donor of $50 or more will have their name listed on the No Way Out But One website as a supporter and may have, if they wish, their photo appear in a photomontage of Kickstarter Contributors that will appear in the end credits of the film. They will also receive a letter of most profound thanks from the producers and can also choose to receive e-mailed updates about the film and the issue.
Pledge $100 or more Pledge $100 or more
Every donation of $100 or more gets a DVD of the 13-minute version of No Way Out But One. Also, if they wish, they may have their name listed on the No Way Out But One website as a supporter, a personal letter of thanks from the producer and their photo in a photomontage of Kickstarter Contributors that will appear in the end credits of the film. They can also choose to receive e-mailed updates about the film and the issue.
Pledge $250 or more Pledge $250 or more
Every donor of $250 or more receives a DVD of the 13-minute version of No Way Out But One. They will also receive a DVD of Small Justice and a personal thank you letter from the producer as well as their photo in a photomontage of Kickstarter Contributors that will appear in the end credits of the film. They may receive e-mailed updates about the film and the issue.
Pledge $500 or more Pledge $500 or more
Every donor of $500 or more gets a DVD of the full length feature No Way Out But One, a DVD of Small Justice, a thank you letter from the producer, their photo in a photomontage of Kickstarter Contributors that will appear in the end credits of the film, and a personal invitation to a screening (Sorry -no transportation or accommodations are included)
Pledge $1,000 or more Pledge $1,000 or more
Every donor of $1,000 or more - receives a DVD of the feature length version of No Way Out But One upon its completion, a full transcript of the remarkable interview producer Garland Waller conducted with Dr. Richard Gardner [not for reproduction without permission]. This exclusive material is the last known TV interview prior to Gardner's suicide. Gardner was the creator of the widely discredited Parental Alienation Syndrome - a bit of junk science often used to deny protective mothers custody. $1,000 contributors will also receive a letter of profound and enduring appreciation from the producer - and an invitation to join the producer and friends for dinner at the premiere next Sept in San Diego. (Sorry - no transportation or accommodations are included)
Pledge $2,500 or more Pledge $2,500 or more
Every donor of $2,500 or more - receives up to 4 hours of consultation on custody or related matters with the legal team of Charles and Diane Hofheimer, leading experts in the field, and an invitation to join the producer and friends for dinner at the premiere next Sept in San Diego. (Sorry - no transportation or accommodations are included) In addition, they will receive a DVD of the feature length version of No Way Out But One upon its completion, a DVD of Small Justice, and a full transcript of the remarkable interview producer Garland Waller conducted with Dr. Richard Gardner [not for reproduction without permission]. This exclusive material is the last known TV interview prior Gardner suicide. Gardner was the creator of the widely discredited Parental Alienation Syndrome - a bit of junk science often used to deny protective mothers custody. They will also receive a personal letter of profound and enduring appreciation from the producer.
Pledge $5,000 or more Pledge $5,000 or more
Every donation of $5,000 or more, receives the complete package above and a private screening with the producer at a reasonable location and date of their choosing. And we will bake you a cake.
Project By
Garland Waller and Barry Nolan
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The film is produced by the husband and wife team of Garland Waller and Barry Nolan.
Garland Waller's first independent production was Small Justice: Little Justice in America's Family Courts. It was the first documentary to explore a national scandal: men who beat their wives and sexually abused their children could get custody in family courts. Small Justice won "Best Social Documentary" at the New York International Independent Film and Video Festival.
Barry Nolan is an Emmy award winning reporter and producer who has spent three decades interviewing everyone from presidential candidates and power brokers, to killers and conmen. He has been on the scene to cover the major stories of our time, from the Oklahoma City Bombing to 9-11, from politics to pop culture, and from death row to the Red Carpets of Hollywood.
