Dear Friends,
It’s been an eventful five years: Between a global flu, pandemic, #MeToo, a profound awakening to the ugly realities of our criminal legal system and band of self-described patriots storming the capitol in an attempt to overthrow a legitimately elected government, what felt like radicalism just a few years ago, can seem downright anodyne today.
Perhaps that’s why, just over five years since our film UNTOUCHABLE premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival, it is finally finding a new home.
On a network streaming service.
The argument of the film—that most of what we think we know about sex offenses and sex offenders, is wrong; and that only by employing science and nuance can we grope our way toward more sensible and humanistic policies in dealing with these most frightening cases, was—just a few years ago—simply too radical for broadcasters. But in today’s fraught world—where both science and nuance are themselves under siege, and where arguments about the inhumanity of our criminal legal system have new valence, our film and it’s complex and controversial message may have finally wormed it’s way into mainstream discourse.
At least that’s that the hope.
After years of feedback and hundreds of people telling us that the film changed their perspective about a subject they thought they understood, this new streaming deal with NBC/Peacock offers a new chance to push the film and it’s message out into the larger culture.
For those of you have seen the film, I’d urge you to tell others that it’s now available (free) on Peacock. For those who have not, now, even more than before, I’d ask you to strap in, and hold on though what remains a complex and difficult, but ultimately rewarding and thought-provoking film about a subject you never thought you’d want to think about, And, for anyone motivated to organize a group screening (for classrooms, school events, activists, community organization, (movie night with friends!) — any group screening at all), we're running a grant funded campaign to offer free group screenings of the film and coordinate panels and Q&A's until April 2022. Email Marlena Williams at outreach@untouchablefilm.com for more info.
Humanity matters. Seeing complexity matters. Shining a light into what remains the darkest corner of our criminal legal system matters—even when what we find there, makes us all complicit in continuing injustice.
Please watch, think and discuss. It’s only by starting this complex and difficult conversation that we’ll ever begin to make the changes we so desperately need.
Hooray for Peacock, and thanks for reading this.
With all my best,
David. |
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