UofM Will Screen The Hunting Ground as Part of Critical Conversations Initiative

September 14, 2015 - The University of Memphis will host two showcase screenings of the documentary The Hunting Ground Oct. 6 at 1 and 7 p.m. at the Michael D. Rose Theatre on campus. The documentary premiered earlier this year at the Sundance Film Festival and has been showing on college campuses and other venues throughout the country. The UofM was selected for the showcase screening, which is being underwritten by a grant secured by the filmmaker and features writer/director Kirby Dick in the panel discussion following each of the screenings. Dick will also be on campus throughout the morning to speak with students in classes or small groups.

The engaging and provocative film offers a straightforward look at the prevalence of sexual assault on college campuses, university responses to these incidents, and the toll that they take on survivors. The purpose of this event is to promote honest and open discussions about sexual assault, address myths and misunderstandings about rape, and the elements of a comprehensive prevention and post-assault program.

This event is free and open to the public. College students from Memphis area campuses are particularly encouraged to attend the screenings and a Community Resources Fair from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the University Center atrium. University officials and student organizations are also planning other events during the week before and after the screenings to encourage students to think further about such issues as consent, responsibility and the importance of active, positive bystander interventions.

The screenings are a part of a larger, campus-wide "Critical Conversations" initiative which started this spring. The goal of Critical Conversations is to use collective scholarship to sustain and facilitate a democratic civil society that values diversity, civil rights, human rights, and nonviolent movements and initiatives.

The Hunting Ground showcase screening is sponsored by the Director of Diversity Initiatives/Office of the Provost, the Center for Research on Women, the Critical Conversations Committee and the Benjamin L. Hooks Institute for Social Change.