33 minutes
Free Community Screening on May 1 at 7pm | Click the showtime to RSVP
A recording of the community conversation from the MSPIFF screening of ESCALATION will be shared with audiences following Friday’s screening, featuring Director AJ Schnack, photojournalist Tim Evans, Kirstin McCudden from the Freedom of the Press Foundation, and John Rash, Editorial Columnist at the Minnesota Star Tribune.
A data-driven nonfiction short film documenting the surge of U.S. incidents where law enforcement have targeted journalists since May 25, 2020.
Directors Statement
The last five-plus years have seen a dramatic increase in attacks on journalists by state actors and law enforcement. In the United States, we have seen hundreds of examples of police purposely targeting journalists. In this film, more than a dozen journalists from across the US tell their own stories of being targeted by law enforcement while documenting protests.
These efforts to restrict the free press and to physically harm those who are filming or otherwise covering protests has an immense effect on freelance and independent journalists, as well as nonfiction filmmakers, who are often working without corporate backing or support. It also stifles those who do work for “official” outlets, who often are not allowed to speak honestly and publicly about being targeted by police.
In addition, efforts to stop filming of police, or other state agents, are coinciding with demonstrable lies told by police or by the state as to their actions. Without these witnesses, the truth about what happened during a protest may never be revealed.
With the current efforts to militarize our urban centers, this targeting of a free press and the right to bear witness will continue to be a major issue in the coming years.
Relased 2026
Directed by AJ Schnack