An Unprecedented Case Against Hate
Our campaign will support a nationwide, grassroots screening campaign featuring in person conversations with leaders in the movement, virtual talks and screening guides to help different groups frame their own events. We will also develop educational guides for law schools and other institutions.
SYNOPSIS
In August of 2017, hundreds of neo-Nazis, fascists and white supremacists descended upon Charlottesville, Virginia and the UVA campus. What was publicly called Unite the Right, was privately called “the Battle of Charlottesville.” White supremacist leaders and organizers sought to provoke a confrontation and the violence that ensued, which killed Heather Heyer and grievously injured many others, was no accident.
NO ACCIDENT chronicles a first-of-its-kind, seminal civil rights trial against hate, exposing a broad network of white supremacist and neo-Nazi conspirators and detailing the challenges of holding those leaders and organizations accountable for their actions. From collection of evidence, depositions, jury selection to trial, the film is a behind-the-scenes look at the highs and lows of pursuing this pathbreaking case. While the litigation was successful, it leaves us with the open question of what more we can do to prevent and deter these dangerous acts of extremism in the future.
The campaign’s goals are to spark political, legal and citizen responses that will protect our democracy and defeat the harmful and violent outcomes of white supremacy. Using the Charlottesville rally as an example of an organized and deliberate strategy of violence, we intend to deepen our audience’s understanding of the tactics used by neo-Nazis and white nationalists (desensitization, jokey “meme culture”, for example) and call urgent attention to the increasing pervasiveness of these tactics in mainstream media leading up to the 2024 election.
Director Statement
While many people recall the horror they felt watching the events of August 2017 in Charlottesville, VA – the tiki torches, the chants of “Jews will not replace us”, and the shock of that car screeching into peaceful counter-protestors – few understand the months of deliberate planning, including preparing to use violence, that preceded it - or the race-war agenda that motivated the men behind the rally.
Our ambition was to make a documentary that would expose how seemingly isolated incidents of extremist white nationalist violence are, in fact, connected, part of an organized movement rooted in dangerous “replacement theory” ideology and make a gripping legal thriller, driven by strong characters, that would keep audiences on the edge of their seats.
It was always important to go beyond the trial itself. Our storytelling constantly evolved, informed by events of the day - as tragedies like the 2019 El Paso shooting, the events of January 6th, 2020, the 2022 Buffalo supermarket murders unfolded, the film’s urgency and relevancy ramped up. This is not a story that wraps up with a nice bow; that’s not our truth. And by raising questions about the role of government, free speech, accountability, and the legal system, we are also examining painful questions we, as Americans, continue to ask about the future of our country. The film is also an opportunity to shine a light on the courageous individuals like Marissa and April who who stood up, and continue to stand up, to hate.
Supporter Statement
"In August 2017, white supremacists rallied in Charlottesville, Virginia, viciously attacking counter-protestors. Two lawyers, convinced that the Trump DOJ would do nothing, decided to sue a group of violent rightwing protestors on behalf of the victims. The case was decided in 2021, and NO ACCIDENT is the gripping five-year story of its painful course. This film intimately gives us an entry into both racist and anti-Semitic practices. It is empowering to watch a group of lawyers work for justice by fighting the good fight, particularly when the filmmaking is excellent. But what is most remarkable about this film is the access we are given to the legal process, the hearts and minds of the plaintiffs, and the cold and evil speech of the defendants. In the end, we are left with hope for what our democracy can do to counter hate."
-- Woodstock Film Festival
ABOUT FILMMAKER(S)
Director Kristi Jacobson
Kristi is the director of award-winning films SOLITARY (2016), A PLACE AT THE TABLE (2012) and TOOTS (2007). SOLITARY was nominated for two Emmys, winning the Emmy Award for Outstanding Investigative Documentary as well as Independent Spirit’s Truer Than Fiction Award and Cinema Eye Honors Nominee. A PLACE AT THE TABLE premiered at the Sundance Film Festival before its release by Magnolia Pictures in over 25 cities, earning a PGA Best Documentary nomination and winner of IDA Pare Lorentz Award. Earlier films include the critically acclaimed TOOTS, named National Board of Review Top 5 Documentary and NY Times Critics’ Pick and her debut film AMERICAN STANDOFF (HBO) premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. Kristi’s 2021 film HOMEFRONT (HBO/Max) was NAACP Image Award-nominated and Alfred I. DuPont Columbia Journalism finalist. Jacobson’s episodic work includes the upcoming National Geographic series Photographer; “The Protectors” episode of the acclaimed Netflix Original Series Dogs, and “Cartel Bank” episode of the Netflix investigative series Dirty Money. Short form work includes the Procter & Gamble 2021 Olympics Series “Good is Gold”; “I am not going to change 400 years in four”, a short film about Durham NC District Attorney Satana Deberry, co-directed with Angela Tucker (ITVS/ Independent Lens). As producer, Kristi’s films include Nausheen Dadabhoy’s debut feature, AN ACT OF WORSHIP (POV/PBS) and the Emmy-winning THE FIRE THAT TOOK HER for Paramount+. She is a member of the Academy of Motion Pictures and Sciences (AMPAS) and the Directors
Producer Michelle R. Carney
Ali is an Emmy Award-nominated documentary producer and writer who tells stories that align with her values and reveal characters or explore narratives that will help make the world the kind of place she wants to live in. Besides NO ACCIDENT (HBO/MAX), other recent films include the Oscar-nominated THE BARBER OF LITTLE ROCK (The New Yorker), FAUCI (Disney+/Telluride), YUSUF HAWKINS: STORM OVER BROOKLYN (HBO/Tribeca), and the Emmy-nominated feature NOT DONE: WOMEN REMAKING AMERICA (PBS). She is honored to have been a 2020 Impact Partners Producing Fellow and to have been named to DOCNYC’s 2021 list of 40 Under 40.
Ali is an Emmy Award-nominated documentary producer and writer who tells stories that align with her values and reveal characters or explore narratives that will help make the world the kind of place she wants to live in. Besides NO ACCIDENT (HBO/MAX), other recent films include the Oscar-nominated THE BARBER OF LITTLE ROCK (The New Yorker), FAUCI (Disney+/Telluride), YUSUF HAWKINS: STORM OVER BROOKLYN (HBO/Tribeca), and the Emmy-nominated feature NOT DONE: WOMEN REMAKING AMERICA (PBS). She is honored to have been a 2020 Impact Partners Producing Fellow and to have been named to DOCNYC’s 2021 list of 40 Under 40.
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Women Make Movies (WMM), Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit media arts organization registered with the New York Charities Bureau of New York State and accepts charitable donations on behalf of this project. Your donation will be spent by the filmmaker(s) toward the production and completion of this media project. No services or goods are provided by Women Make Movies, the filmmaker(s) or anyone else associated with this project in exchange for your charitable donation.
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