“The documentary itself highlights how policing and incarceration systems work together to maintain a status quo that is hostile to Black lives.”
— Ishena Robinson,
“With these young women putting their bodies and minds on the line in the fight for justice, looking at their personal lives is just as meaningful.”
— Arionne Nettles,
“[The film] allows O’Shay to carve out a place for their voices, including her own, in the broader media firmament, using the expansive canvas of the big screen to question why in social movements meant to elevate the historically marginalized, certain voices are still more privileged than others as it celebrates what these women bring to the table.”
— Stephen Saito,
“[A] tribute to the Black women who have been the bedrock of their families and communities, and its debut at film festivals is a landmark moment to cherish and celebrate.”
— Stephen Michael Brown,
“My film is about a movement that is very much so living and ongoing...I don’t want people in this moment to forget about black women and forget about trans voices and gender non-conforming voices and people [who] are even further on the margins than black men themselves.”
— Lindsey Bahr and Marcela Isaza,
ABOUT THE FILM
LOGLINE
After two police killings, Black abolitionist organizers challenge a complicit Chicago administration.
LONG SYNOPSIS
UNAPOLOGETIC captures a tense and polarizing moment in Chicago’s fight for the livelihood of its Black residents. The film follows Janaé and Bella, two young abolitionist organizers, as they work within the Movement for Black Lives to seek justice for Rekia Boyd and Laquan McDonald, two young Black people killed by Chicago police. They aim to elevate a progressive platform for criminal justice to a police board led by Lori Lightfoot and a complicit city administration, while also elevating leadership by women and femmes.
Director Ashley O’Shay
Writers Rubin Daniels Jr., Ashley O’Shay
Producers Morgan Elise Johnson, Ashley O’Shay
Executive Producers Jolene Pinder, Gordon Quinn, Yvonne Welbon
Co-Executive Producers Niema Jordan, Don Thompson, Diana Takata, Melissa Wilson
Associate Producers Ethan Senser, Natalie Frazier
Editor Rubin Daniels Jr.
Cinematographer Ashley O’Shay
Music Sam Trump
FESTIVALS
2020: Blackstar Film Festival (World Premiere), DOC NYC, Cleveland, Frameline, Outfest Fusion
AWARDS
Jury Prize (image+nation, Montreal LGBTQ Film Festival), Breakthrough Award (Athena Film Festival), Groundbreaker Award (Cleveland International Film Festival)
EXHIBITION FORMATS
DCP, Digital Download
PRESS KIT
Download Press Kit
AVAILABLE PRESS IMAGES (click to preview)
