The Blood is at the Doorstep

press release: Join Director Erik Ljung, a member of the Hamilton family, Representative Chris Taylor, and Wisconsin Film Festival Coordinator Ben Reiser for a screening of the documentary “The Blood is at the Doorstep,” followed by a post-screening Q&A. This film won a Golden Badger Award at the 2018 Wisconsin Film Festival.

View a trailer at https://vimeo.com/205828363

About the Film:

On April 30, 2014, Dontre Hamilton, a black, unarmed man diagnosed with schizophrenia, was shot 14 times and killed by a Milwaukee police officer responding to a non-emergency wellness check in a popular downtown park. Filmed over the course of three years in the direct aftermath of Dontre's death, this intimate verite documentary follows his family as they struggle to find answers and challenge a criminal justice system stacked against them. Offering a painfully realistic glimpse inside a movement born out of tragedy, this explosive documentary takes a behind the scenes look at one of America’s most pressing social issues.

Director Erik Ljung has meticulously crafted a piece of essential viewing, one that has much to contribute to our understanding of the ongoing epidemic of police violence. We get to know Dontre, and watch as his family transforms into activists. We see the complex layers of engagement when a mourning family’s desires diverge from those of fellow activists, and feel their frustration and anger with institutional responses.

This event is offered in partnership with the Wisconsin Film Festival and is funded by a generous grant from the Madison Public Library Foundation.