Domestic violence is not just a ‘women’s issue,’ according to Heaven on Earth director Deepa Mehta. ‘There are men out there who really do care,’ she told media at TIFF headquarters during a Saturday presser at the Sutton Place Hotel.

This latest outing the director of the Oscar-nominated Water was well-received at its TIFF premiere in the special presentation category at the packed Elgin theater Saturday night.

Mehta tackles the ‘universal’ problem of domestic violence through the eyes of a young bride from India (Bollywood star Preity Zinta) whose new husband in Canada (Vansh Bhardwaj) has a violent streak that is generally accepted by the entire Indian family they share quarters with in Brampton, ON.

Mehta says the film, produced by her partner David Hamilton, is also about the isolation immigrants often feel in a new land. ‘It is very personal,’ she says. ‘It is the film that has moved me the deepest,’ she adds without elaboration.

Queried on whether Heaven on Earth might create a ‘negative’ image of her Indian community in Canada, the philosophical director notes, ‘Isolation has no color.’

Mehta hopes Heaven on Earth will awaken people about these taboo topics. ‘Complacency makes us all complicit,’ she says. ‘Talking about it,’ she says, is ‘absolutely the first step. Acknowledging and saying it out loud makes it real.’

Mongrel Media has not yet announced the film’s release date in Canada.

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Playback Daily‘s coverage of the Toronto International Film Festival continues with special editions through this weekend.