The film, which premieres Monday on HBO, focuses on four survivors whose rape kits went untested for years. Part of the problem is that many states have no legislation that demands testing within a reasonable period. As a result, hundreds of thousands of kits are backlogged, with many never tested.
The Daily Show's Trevor Noah interviews Mariska Hargitay about "I Am Evidence"
Mariska Hargitay, producer of the film "I Am Evidence", embraces Nicole DiSanto, investigator with the Cuyahoga County Assault Kit Task Force, center, and Michelle Brettin, retired Fairfield, OH police officer. They were available for a Q&A session following the screening of the film, during the Cleveland International Film Festival.
"I Am Evidence" will be screened April 15 at the Detroit Film Theatre at the Detroit Institute of Arts. It's part of Freep Film Festival, which kicks off April 11. Ericka Murria, a longtime community activist on issues of sexual assault and domestic violence, says she turned down requests several times to be interviewed about her untested rape kit for the film before deciding to cooperate. "When I talked about it for the film, that was actually my first time ever talking about it publicly," says Murria. Murria credits her father with convincing her to participate. He told her he'd seen her suffering in silence for long enough.
Mariska Hargitay has been investigating crimes as Olivia Benson on Law & Order for almost two decades. And now she’s fighting for real-life justice to end rape-kit backlog, which is the subject of her new HBO documentary, I Am Evidence.
I AM EVIDENCE exposes the alarming trend of unsolved rape cases, revealing how a flawed system has historically mistreated sexual assault survivors and showing how victims, advocates and some forward-thinking law enforcement officials are challenging the status quo.
Ahead of the March 12th private screening of the upcoming HBO documentary, "I Am Evidence," which exposes the rape kit backlog across the country and shares stories of sexual assault survivors, California legislators detailed their efforts to bring justice to victims.
The metro Detroit premiere of "I Am Evidence" will be the marquee closing day event at this year's Freep Film Festival, including an appearance by the documentary's Mariska Hargitay.
In a quest for information about the number of untested rape kits in Santa Clara County, an I AM EVIDENCE audience member found a listening ear in her local Superviser who brought a proposal to the board to ensure there are resources to get all kits in the county tested by the end of 2018. The story was covered by KPIX reporter, Maria Medina, highlighting how I AM EVIDENCE led her to seek answers and make a change in her community.
