Do Not Resist
This event took place on Oct 21, 2016
$12 General Admission
$9 Student/Senior
$7 Member
Craig Atkinson
US
2016
1h 12m
About
Seattle premiere!
Shot over two years and in 11 states, starting on the streets of Ferguson as the community grapples with the death of Michael Brown, Do Not Resist shows how local police forces have evolved into paramilitary organizations with an extreme amount of resources. The Tribeca Film Festival winner for Best Documentary puts viewers at ground level — from a ride-along with a South Carolina SWAT team, inside a police training seminar that teaches the importance of “righteous violence,”and to the floor of a congressional hearing on the proliferation of military equipment in small-town police departments — before exploring where technology could lead the field next.
Craig Atkinson, making his directorial debut, previously worked as a cinematographer, producer and editor on the 2012 documentary Detropia, a lyrical exploration of the city of Detroit trying to reinvent itself in a post-manufacturing United States. The film premiered at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival and won the Editing Award for U.S. Documentary; Detropia went on to win 10 additional awards worldwide and was short-listed for an Academy Award. Atkinson’s background in documentaries helped him find a structure and stylistic approach for Do Not Resist:
“Our inspiration was: How much can we show people? How can we put people in the center of this problem? That was our guideline. We, and the viewers, have to see it. We can’t talk to experts, because then I would be showing my point of view, it will be editorialized, and no one will believe it.”
“Even for those who think of themselves as familiar with the problem of “police militarization” in America, this film is gripping, eye-opening, and haunting. Don’t resist—go see it.” -The Stranger
“Do Not Resist excels at peeking beyond the dominant narrative associated with police brutality. Rather than taking the media filter for granted, the movie illustrates its boundaries.” – Eric Kohn, Indiewire
“This is a film that uses documentary to go deep into a world with a cinematic experience. We were excited by the directorial debut of a cinematographer who already has created a great body of work. Do Not Resist shines a light on the frightening story of the militarization of the police. In an impactful way, the director uses his amazing access to look at power and force from the inside.” – Jury comments from Tribeca Film Festival jurors Laura Poitras, Douglas Tirola, and Roger Ross Williams