CRIME AFTER CRIME
WHEN: Sunday, February 12, 7:30 PM
WHERE: Kaplen JCC on the Palisades, 411 E. Clinton Ave., Tenafly
ADMISSION: Free and Open to the Community
For more information call 201-408-1426. To reserve tickets, call 201.408.1458 or visit the JCC’s website www.jccotp.org.
An official selection of the 2011 Sundance Film Festival, Crime After Crime is the exclusive documentary film on the legal battle to free Debbie Peagler, a woman imprisoned for over a quarter century due to her connection to the murder of the man who abused her. She finds her only hope for freedom when two rookie attorneys with no background in criminal law step forward to take her case.
“This emotionally affecting documentary will move you like few films this year, thanks to a luminous heroine and an unlikely but appealing trio who work tirelessly to release her from prison” — David Lewis, San Francisco Chronicle.
Following the film, a panel discussion will be held with noted experts: Rabbi Raffi Bilek, LSW, Outreach Coordinator for Project S.A.R.A.H.; Warren S. Sutnick, Esq. of Sutnick & Sutnick, LLC; and the Honorable Loretta Weinberg, NJ State Senator for District 37.
In 1983, Deborah Peagler, a woman brutally abused by her boyfriend, was sentenced to 25 years-to-life for her connection to his murder. Twenty years later, as she languished in prison, a California law allowing incarcerated domestic-violence survivors to reopen their cases was passed. Enter a pair of rookie land-use attorneys convinced that with the incontrovertible evidence that existed, they could free Deborah in a matter of months. What they didn’t know was the depth of corruption and politically driven resistance they’d encounter, sending them down a nightmarish, bureaucratic rabbit hole of injustice. The outrageous twists and turns in this consummately crafted saga are enough to keep us on the edge of our seats. Meanwhile, the spirit, fortitude, and love all three characters marshal in the face of this wrenching marathon is nothing short of miraculous. We fall in love with the remarkable triumvirate as they battle a warped criminal-justice system and test whether it’s beyond repair.
The NY Daily News has chosen this film as one of the ten best movies of 2011: http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/movies/daily-news-joe-neumaier-picks-ten-best-movies-2011-article-1.990360
And for more news coverage of this incredible film see: http://crimeaftercrime.com/press/coverage/
This event is made possible through the generosity of Micaela Mangot. Cosponsored by the JCC Judaic and Teen Departments, the Jewish Community Relations Council of the Jewish Federation of NNJ and Women Lawyers in Bergen County.
