Jia Rizvi (born 1 September 1986, also known as Jia Wertz) is a Canadian filmmaker, and Founder and fashion designer of Studio 15.[1][2][3] She is known for her debut documentary film, Conviction: a true story based on the life of 16-year-old Jeffrey Deskovic who was wrongly convicted for the rape and murder of Angela Correa, his high school classmate.[3] Rizvi won Digital trends media group DEI award for her work to show the flaws in the American justice system through Conviction.[4]
Along with John Gully, she co-hosts a true-crime podcast series, Speaking of Crime, investigating mysterious unsolved cases.[3]
Rizvi also serves on the board of Youth Represent, an organization that empowers Black, Latinx, and other marginalized youth impacted by the criminal justice system.[5][6]She also served on the advisory board of Purdue University Northwest's Center for Justice and Post-Exoneration Assistance, which works to address wrongful convictions and support the exonerated.
Early life and education
Jia Rizvi was born in Tripoli, Libya, to her father, Aftab Rizvi, and mother, Shaista Rizvi, who are of Indian and Pakistani origin. She has two younger brothers. Later, her family migrated to Calgary, Canada, where she attended Ernest Manning High School. Upon graduating from high school, Rizvi went on to study fashion design at George Brown College in Toronto.[1][7] Subsequently, she moved to the United States after meeting and marrying her American husband. Rizvi then attended the New York Film Academy to study the art of filmmaking.[8]
Career
Fashion Industry
Following her graduation from George Brown College, Rizvi joined the fashion industry, where she worked for two decades in Houston, San Francisco and New York. During this time, she founded Studio 15, a retail establishment focused on women's fashion, particularly contemporary dress designs.[1]
Filmmaking
Rizvi was inspired by Norman Jewison's 1999 film The Hurricane, the story based on Rubin Carter, a professional boxer wrongfully convicted in the 1960s who later became free after being exonerated in 1988, after 20 years of imprisonment.[1] In 2014 she followed investigative journalism podcast Serial which covered the events of Hae Min Lee's killing arguing the Pakistani man Adnan Syed may not have killed her.[9] Rizvi organized a fundraiser for Adnan's legal defense fund. During the fundraiser she was introduced to Jeffrey Deskovic, the person whom she later filmed for her documentary, Conviction.[7][10]
Other work
Rizvi serves on the board of Youth Represent, an organization that empowers Black, Latinx, and other marginalized youth impacted by the criminal justice system.[11] Rizvi is also a Forbes contributor.[12]
Conviction
Conviction is a documentary by Rizvi that recounts the true story of Jeffrey Deskovic, a 16-year-old wrongfully convicted of the rape and murder of his high school classmate, Angela Correa. It was a case of misidentification, robbing a young man of his dreams and liberties, as he was unjustly imprisoned without due process. The film depicts Deskovic's courageous fight for freedom and his ultimate triumph over the injustice he faced, which is portrayed as a heroic struggle.[2][3]
In an interview Rizvi said "I don't have words for how amazing Jeff is and the perseverance he has. He's got the biggest heart, and he will tell you himself that what he went through was horrific but at least he came out with a clear-cut mission in life."[2]
Conviction shows the flaws in the American justice system.[3] Currently it is estimated that between 4-6% of people incarcerated in US prisons are actually innocent.[13]
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