Feature Doc “Loud Enough—Surviving Justice” Produced by RPJ’s Heidi Reavis, Steve Engel and Hilary Klotz Steinman, and Assisted by RPJ’s Alice Jump, Released through Women Make Movies and Featured for Screenings during Sexual Assault Awareness Month and Beyond
Feature documentary “Loud Enough—Surviving Justice” follows college student Madison Smith and her tight-knit family in deep-red Kansas as they gather national advocates and take on local prosecutors to fight for justice and systemic change. Following Smith’s violent sexual assault and strangulation, and ignoring substantial forensic evidence, County Prosecutors declined to prosecute her case because the events leading up to the rape had commenced as a consensual encounter between friends. With irrefutable iPhone recordings of the manipulative County Prosecutor discouraging Smith and focused on more “easy wins,” community and national support (including RPJ’s Reavis and Alice Jump), and collective tenacious advocacy, Smith prevailed and put her life back on track.
The film illustrates the profound resistance encountered by survivors of sexual violence to hold abusers and judicial systems accountable. RPJ client Women Make Movies (WMM) is distributing the film which is making its rounds during Sexual Assault Awareness Month and beginning its film festival circuit. Consistent with other films produced or executive produced by Reavis and Engel, the film is intended as a tool to promote education and training, and social and legislative change.
To that end, on March 23, Reavis and Engel addressed the California chapter of National Organization of Women (NOW) at a remote screening of the film, where Reavis delivered a presentation on the range of legislative changes being advocated through the film. These proposed changes, to be adopted at state and national levels, include:
- revising the definition of ‘rape’ to be inclusive of other forced sexual assault (including same-sex assaults historically minimized);
- establishing pre-prison-release programs for violent offenders and perpetrators of domestic abuse in order to deter future sexual assault crimes;
- increasing law enforcement information-sharing concerning convicted sex offenders and other high-risk domestic violence perpetrators;
- increasing probation requirements for those convicted of sex-related crimes;
- increasing funding for victims of sexual assault for emergency safety and post-assault care;
- increasing the controls and penalties regarding cyber-bulling and stalking;
- increasing controls and penalties regarding “sextortion” of adults and especially minors;
- provide funding for longer-term relationship building between law enforcement, and sexual assault survivors and subjects of domestic violence;
- and more – suggestions welcomed.
“Loud Enough—Surviving Justice” is available for screening and accessible through WMM for events, trainings, classes, and any other setting one wishes to learn about this crucial topic. Learn more here.