A discussion with the filmmakers of ‘Say Her Name: The Life and Death of Sandra Bland’

Monday, February 25, 2019

4:30 p.m.

Wallis Annenberg Hall (ANN), L105A


Say Her Name: The Life and Death of Sandra Bland explores the death of Sandra Bland, a politically active 28-year-old African-American woman who, after being arrested for a traffic violation in a small Texas town, was found hanging in her jail cell three days later. Dashcam footage of her arrest went viral, leading to national protests. The film team followed the two-year case beginning shortly after Bland’s death, exploring the questions of what really happened to her, and what we may learn from her tragedy. 

This talk will explore the story behind how documentary filmmakers can turn a problem into a national conversation and offers a unique glimpse into the potential for their work to effect social change.

Schedule:

  • Panel discussion: 4:30 – 6 p.m., ANN L105A
  • Reception with HBO filmmakers: 6 p.m., ANN Forum

Moderators:

Additional panelists: 

  • Sharon Cooper, sister of Sandra Bland
  • Brooklyne Gipson, Ph.D. candidate, School of Communication 

This event is presented in conjunction with COMM 309.

About the directors

Academy Award-nominated Kate Davis has made acclaimed documentaries for HBO, and other networks. An AMPAS member, her HBO documentary film Southern Comfort won dozens of awards including The Grand Jury Prize at Sundance, Hot Docs, Seattle Film Festival, and the Berlin Film Festival Special Jury Award. She co-directed HBO’s The Cheshire Murders, The Newburgh Sting (Peabody Award), and Jockey (Emmy, Best Direction), and also produced/co-directed Stonewall Uprising (Peabody Award) for “American Experience.” She directed the 2018 Oscar-nominated HBO short documentary Traffic Stop, which also won the Grand Jury Prize at Docs NYC, and is currently co-directing Born into the Gig.

Academy Award-nominated David Heilbroner has been directing and producing award-winning documentaries for more than 15 years. He most recently produced the HBO documentary film Traffic Stop, a short documentary which won the Grand Jury Prize at NYC Docs and was nominated for an Academy Award. In 2014, David co-directed and co-produced The Newburgh Sting, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival before airing on HBO and winning numerous awards including a 2014 Peabody. In 2010, David wrote, produced and co-directed Stonewall Uprising, which played theatrically in more than 60 cities nationwide before airing on PBS and winning a Peabody Award, among many others. His other feature-length titles include Pucker Up: The Fine Art of Whistling, and HBO’s Emmy-winning Jockey and The Cheshire Murders. A former Manhattan prosecutor and widely published author, David was previously senior producer for Crime Stories, a series for Court TV (1999), and directed/produced Transgender Revolution, Life After Death Row, The Dark Side of Parole, Anti-gay Hate Crimes and Untying the Strait Jacket (A&E Networks).

Please note that we will not be screening the full documentary at this event. We encourage you to watch it beforehand on HBO NOW.

RSVP