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St. Louis International Film Festival screens ‘Copwatch’ documentary

Copwatch documentary
(photo provided)
Copwatch documentary

The St. Louis International Film Festival is underway through November 12 in venues throughout the city.

“Lots of international films, American independent documentaries and many shorts,” said Cliff Froehlich, executive director of Cinema St. Louis.

Among the many documentaries showing at the festival is “Copwatch,” which focuses on the efforts of the group We Copwatch to monitor and record police activity.

“What we forget about are the people who are actually recording those films,” said Rhaisa Williams, a postdoctoral fellow in Performing Arts Department at Washington University. “So the documentary “Copwatch” is very much about focusing on the people actually who did the filming and the fallout and aftermath that comes from doing that work.”

Following the showing of the documentary, Williams will facilitate a discussion about issues raised in “Copwatch.”

Related: St. Louis International Film Festival: 'Newest, freshest stories told from unique perspectives'

David Whitt is a member of We Copwatch and a prominent subject in the documentary.

“’Copwatch’ is really about citizens watching out for other citizens and the police knowing that you’re there to do just that,” Whitt said.

“Initially the police were very rebellious,” said Whitt about the police’s response to being filmed. “As we continued to push the envelope with us filming, they kind of had got the message that we’re not going anywhere so they just figured out how to just cope with that.”

Whitt said a lot of education and training goes into We Copwatch, as the organization attempts to both document and prevent violence.

“What do you do after you film something?,” Whitt asked. “In cases like that with police harassment you don’t want people to think this is a good opportunity to start attacking police verbally, abusing them.”

He said the goal is to gather evidence to provide in court, not necessarily to spread content on social media.

 A discussion about "Copwatch," a documentary that is showing at the St. Louis International Film Festival.

Related Events:

What: St. Louis International Film Festival Presents "Copwatch"

When: Nov. 5, 2017 at 1:00 p.m.

Where: Brown Hall at Washington University, St. Louis, MO 63105More information

What: Cinema St. Louis 26th Annual St. Louis International Film Festival

When: November 2 - 12, 2017, various times and locations

More informationSt. Louis on the Air brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region. St. Louis on the Air host Don Marsh and producers Mary Edwards and Alex Heuer give you the information you need to make informed decisions and stay in touch with our diverse and vibrant St. Louis region.

Copyright 2021 St. Louis Public Radio. To see more, visit St. Louis Public Radio.

Alex Heuer joined St. Louis Public Radio in 2012 and is the executive producer of St. Louis on the Air. Alex grew up in the St. Louis area. He began his public radio career as a student reporter at Tri States Public Radio in Macomb, Illinois and worked for a few years at Iowa Public Radio. Alex graduated summa cum laude from Western Illinois University with a degree in history and earned a teaching certificate in 6 - 12th grade social studies. In 2016, he earned a Master of Public Policy Administration with a focus in nonprofit organization management and leadership from the University of Missouri-St. Louis. He has won local and national awards for reporting and producing and his stories have been featured nationally on Morning Edition and All Things Considered.