About this Event
AMERICAN HATE: SURVIVORS SPEAK exposes the rise of violent hate crimes in America, through the lens of the victims and their families. These first person accounts give viewers an opportunity to see, hear, and feel what it means to be targeted on account of who you are or what you believe. The film moves from the scene of each crime to its long-term consequences: the grief, the haunting memories, and the permanent rupture in everyday life. Yet despite the devastation, survivors and their communities have discovered a renewed sense of purpose to advocate, organize, and seek justice.
The film follows Native American mother Carissa Heavyrunner, whose daughter Mika Westwolf was killed in a hit-and-run by a white supremacist whose children were named Aryan and Nation. In her pursuit of justice, Heavyrunner embraces the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women movement, fighting for her daughter and so many others whose stories have been neglected and forgotten.
It tells the story of Khalid Jabara, murdered on his front porch by a racist neighbor. His killing sparked national outrage and ultimately led to the passage of the Jabara-Heyer Hate Crime Bill, a landmark federal law signed in 2021 that strengthens hate crime reporting.
The documentary also features Bawi Cung and his children, who were attacked by a knife-wielding assailant amid the surge of anti-Asian rhetoric fueled by “China Flu” propaganda during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Also profiled are attorneys John Elmore and his daughter Kristen Elmore-Garcia, who are suing U.S. social media companies on behalf of several Black families who lost loved ones in the Tops Friendly Markets massacre in Buffalo, New York.
(1 hr 28m, 2025, Directors: Harry Gantz and Arjun Sethi) + Director Q&A and Special Guests
Based on the book American Hate by Arjun Sethi, named an NPR Best Book of 2018.
https://www.americanhatethefilm.com
https://vimeo.com/1186807466
Shorts to precede:
THE OFFICE FAREWELL - To free themselves from the pressure and humiliation they endure at work every day, three colleagues plan to blow up their office. That night, with the building packed with dynamite and their plan ready to be carried out, something unexpected happens and throws their entire scheme into disarray. (18m, 2024, Belgium, Director: Mehdi Pierret)
https://vimeo.com/1054069808
BRING THEM HOME - Alex and Yan fled persecution in Cuba to marry in the US. When the federal government suddenly detains them and threatens deportation, their union comes together in an unprecedented way to fight for their release. (8m, 2026, Director: Matt Reynolds)
Event venue & nearby stays
Cinema Village, 22 East 12th St, New York, United States
Concerts, fests, parties, meetups — all the happenings, one place.