Institute History
Description
U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award for Social Impact Filmmaking
Meet the NYPD12: a group of minority whistleblower officers who risk everything to expose racially discriminatory policing practices and smash the blue wall of silence. Crime + Punishment is a captivating and cinematic investigation into the New York Police Department’s outlawed practices of quota-driven policing and officer retaliation. Using secret recordings between officers and commanders, firsthand accounts, and emotional testimony, the NYPD12 detail the explosive truth when no one else will listen. In the meantime, Manuel Gomez, an ex-cop turned private investigator, collects testimony from young minorities who have been affected by these policies and targeted by officers in the name of fighting crime.
Stunning cinematography and intimate, character-driven access peel back the layers of institutional bias, exposing a need to re-examine problematic departmental policies that taint officer morale and erode public trust. Told from the rarely heard perspective of active whistleblower officers and the young men and women of color they police, Crime + Punishment is a once-in-a-generation film that considers the complexities of police work when faced with the unjust systemic and institutional practices fueling social justice movements across the U.S.