Down a Dark Stairwell is a 2020 documentary about the 2014 shooting of Akai Gurley in New York City produced by the film production company Noncompliant Films and directed by Ursula Liang. The documentary made its debut broadcast on the PBS series Independent Lens on April 12, 2021.[2][3][4] It was later broadcast on the Criterion Channel[5] and distributed by Kino Lorber on their streaming platform [6] and Kanopy.[7]
| Down a Dark Stairwell | |
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 DVD cover | |
| Directed by | Ursula Liang |
| Written by |
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| Produced by | Ursula Liang & Rajal Pitroda |
| Edited by |
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| Music by |
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| Distributed by | Kino Lorber |
Release date |
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| Languages | English with some Cantonese and Mandarin |
Synopsis
editIn 2014, Akai Gurley was walking with his friend in a dark stairwell of a public housing project when he was shot by NYPD officer Peter Liang. The film covers the events after the shooting and follows a multi-cultural coalition of protesters who support the conviction of Liang. In contrast, the film also follows Asian-American community protesters that argue Liang was used as a scapegoat.
Awards
edit- Les Blank Award, Best Documentary Feature, Ashland Independent Festival 2020[8]
- Special Jury Recognition, Documentary Feature Editing, Ashland Independent Festival 2020
- Best of Documentary, Indy Film Festival
- Best Documentary Award, Truth to Power, Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival[9]
- Grand Jury Award, Best Documentary Feature, Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival[10]
- Audience Award, San Diego Asian Film Festival
References
edit- ^ Sebastián Martínez Valdivia (May 21, 2021). "Revisiting Weirdness with Lance Oppenheim". True/False (Podcast). NPR. Retrieved June 2, 2021.
- ^ "DOWN A DARK STAIRWELL | Films | Independent Lens | PBS". Independent Lens. Retrieved 2020-12-18.
- ^ Cohn, Gabe (April 12, 2021). "What's on TV This Week: 'Our Towns' and 'Beethoven in Beijing'". The New York Times.
- ^ "Ursula Liang's new film 'Down a Dark Stairwell' explores 2014 police shooting of Akai Gurley". The Bay State Banner. February 4, 2021.
- ^ "Down a Dark Stairwell".
- ^ "Down a Dark Stairwell".
- ^ "Kanopy - Stream Classic Cinema, Indie Film and Top Documentaries".
- ^ A, Project. "ashland independent film festival". ashland independent film festival. Archived from the original on 2021-01-26. Retrieved 2020-12-18.
- ^ "Awards". Reel Asian. Retrieved 2020-12-18.
- ^ "DOWN A DARK STAIRWELL". 2020 Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival. Retrieved 2020-12-18.