Public Defender (2024 film)

Last updated
Public Defender
Public Defender (Poster).png
Directed by Andrea Kalin
Written byAndrea Kalin
Produced byAndrea Kalin, p.g.a.
Ethan Oser
StarringHeather Shaner
Annie Howell
Jack Jesse Griffith
CinematographyEthan Oser
Edited byThomas Niles
Music byMike Sayre
Production
company
Distributed by The New Yorker
Release date
Running time
51 minutes
40 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Public Defender is a 2024 documentary film about Washington, D.C., criminal defense attorney Heather Shaner. The documentary follows Shaner's work defending two individuals who participated in the January 6 United States Capitol attack. [1] [2] [3]

Contents

Public Defender is a Spark Media film, [3] produced in partnership with Pulitzer Center. [1] The documentary was directed and produced by Andrea Kalin [1] [3] with Emmy-award winning actor Richard Schiff as executive producer. [4]

Synopsis

Heather Shaner is a liberal criminal defense lawyer who has been practicing in Washington, DC for more than 45 years. After a lifetime dedicated to vulnerable clients, Shaner faces an unexpected turn when she is asked to represent people who took part in the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol. [1] [5]

Shaner is assigned to represent Jack "Liberty Dragon" Griffith, a social media influencer, and Annie Howell, a single mother and painter. As Shaner gets to know her clients, she discovers how her clients were deceived by misinformation and thought they'd joined a righteous defense of democracy on January 6th. [5]

Public Defender explores the impact of disinformation on every-day Americans, and the broader challenge of addressing the divisions that exist in American society. [5]

Release

Public Defender premiered in Telluride, Colorado, at Mountainfilm on May 26, 2024, where it won the Moving Mountains Award for social justice and impact. [3] [6] Following its festival premiere, Public Defender had a limited theatrical run at the Roxie Theater in San Francisco, California [7] and was released by The New Yorker via YouTube. [1] [8]

In addition to its publication by The New Yorker, Public Defender was also broadcast in Israel by yes, [9] in Japan by NHK World-Japan, [10] and by Scripps News in the United States on November 3, 2024 as part of their Emmy-winning documentary series, "In Real Life." [2]

Additional public television broadcasts of the documentary are scheduled for 2025 on WETA-TV. [11]

Reception

Following the world premiere at Mountainfilm, Public Defender screened at festivals across the United States, including Indy Shorts presented by Heartland Film Festival, Rhode Island International Film Festival, and Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival. [12] The documentary was also recognized with the Best Life & Liberty Film award at Sidewalk Film Festival in Birmingham, Alabama. [13]

Writing for The Ankler, Katey Rich calls Public Defender, "One of the most moving shorts" that she watched in 2024. [14] Giving the documentary 4.5 stars out of 5 for Video Librarian, J. Zimmerman writes that Public Defender is, "an excellent non-fiction examination of the moral and political challenges that face defense lawyers in America." [15]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Davidson Sorkin, Amy (2024-10-09). "A Public Defender's Radical Approach to Representing the January 6th Rioters". newyorker.com. Retrieved 2024-11-09.
  2. 1 2 Miossi, Molly (2024-10-02). "Season seven of Scripps News' award-winning documentary series to include Soledad O'Brien". scripps.com. Retrieved 2025-01-02.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Viebrock, Susan (2024-05-15). "Mountainfilm 2024: Andrea Kalin's "Public Defennder," Must-See World Premiere!". tellurideinside.com. Retrieved 2025-01-03.
  4. ↑ "Richard Schiff: Guest Speaker". pulitzercenter.org. Retrieved 2025-01-01.
  5. 1 2 3 Olson, Rollie. "How One Public Defender Found Humanity in Jan 6. Rioters". thefulcrum.us. Retrieved 2025-01-01.
  6. ↑ "2024 Festival Awards Announcement". mountainfilm.org. Retrieved 2024-06-01.
  7. ↑ "The New Yorker Documentary Presents: Frank, Denial, Public Defender".
  8. ↑ "A Public Defender's Radical Approach to Representing The January 6th Rioters". 2024-10-09. Retrieved 2024-11-09.
  9. ↑ https://www.yes.co.il/content/tv/movies/public-defender/
  10. ↑ Hitoshi Omae (2024-11-25). "トランプ氏支持者を理解できるか　敏腕映画監督が新作で出す答え". mainichi.jp (in Japanese). Retrieved 2024-12-25.
  11. ↑ https://weta.org/watch/shows/public-defender-0
  12. ↑ https://www.publicdefenderfilm.com/screenings
  13. ↑ Sippell, Margeaux (2024-08-27). "Sidewalk Film Festival 2024 Winners Include Exhibiting Forgiveness and Secret Mall Apartment". moviemaker.com. Retrieved 2025-01-02.
  14. ↑ Rich, Katey (2024-11-25). "Ariana Grande & Denzel Washington's Kenergy". theankler.com. Retrieved 2025-01-03.
  15. ↑ Zimmerman, J. (2024-07-01). "Public Defender". videolibrarian.com. Retrieved 2025-01-03.
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