Film Trailer for “The Fire This Time”
Synopsis: On a hot summer evening in the gay-friendly West Village neighborhood of New York City, seven young women from New Jersey were verbally threatened and physically attacked by a twenty-nine-year-old man. In a not uncommon travesty of justice, the New Jersey Seven, as they came to be called, were sent to prison for defending themselves (sound familiar?)
The Fire This Time tells the story of the seven women’s trial and prison sentences, and the years-long fight by relatives and activists to get the women released. Along the way, the film reveals in devastating detail how the media, homophobia, and racism all work together in American culture to stigmatize and victimize gay people of color.
The Fire This Time spotlights the U.S. criminal justice system’s bias against women of color in general and against gender non-conforming, African American women in particular. In addition, the film demonstrates how the media perpetuates this bias through inaccurate and incendiary reporting. This kind of reporting contributes to an atmosphere that leaves LGBTQ youth vulnerable to harassment and assault because there are no genuinely safe spaces for them in American society.
This film is currently in post-production and looking towards completion in the Fall of 2012.
