Cinequest / Sebastopol Documentary Film Festival 2019 – Circles
A Hurricane Katrina survivor who works to keep Black teenagers in school in Oakland, California finds his personal and professional lives colliding when his 15-year-old-son goes to jail for a crime he didn't commit.
Interview with Writer/Director/Producer Cassidy Friedman
Watch on Prime Video
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
Circles tells the story of Eric Butler, a restorative justice coordinator who believes that by deepening communication and building trust with students at a continuation high school in Oakland, California, problems can be more easily and justly resolved. The film focuses on Eric’s struggle to do what few adults ever do with kids: to assume positive intent and learn where behavior stems from by being in conversation. We see him doing this masterfully at work, and less effectively at home with his 15-year-old son, Tre. This duality – his public success versus his personal struggle – intensifies throughout the film, drawing the viewer ever deeper into Eric’s world.
As the son of a highly regarded mediator, I know firsthand how challenging it can be to facilitate real dialogue, and to bring that consciousness home – even for the pros. Dad, known internationally as “The father of Mediation” for his work, often failed to apply the values of his work at home.
So when I heard about the nascent Restorative Justice movement, and its aspirations to “shift our culture from punishing wrongdoing to responses that reduce harm,” I wanted to tell the complicated story that I knew was underlying these words. And I wanted to share that story with educators, kids, and their parents. Through Fania Davis, who runs an organization called Restorative Justice for Oakland Youth, I was introduced to her then-employee, Eric, and immediately drawn to his approach and passionate work style. I developed a deep and trusting relationship with an amazing character who was seeking to embody the movement’s aspirations, and to truly ground himself in practicing what he was preaching.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
Everyone should learn about Eric's work and restorative justice. We live in a society where our technological development vastly outpaces the social side of our development – our ability to communicate with another.
With the power to heal through accountability, restorative justice, as defined by this profoundly human story, has the possibility to span beyond school and court systems, burn down the vestiges of white supremacy and rebuild a society where safety and learning are truly at the center.
And it's a darn good film.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
Circles weaves together two stories. One is Eric's impassioned work in the school where he's building relationships with students and changing their lives. Here we see education flipped on its head, the school to prison pipeline start to crack and suddenly racial inequity in education seems possible to defeat. The other storyline is a father-and-son story, which any parent – Eric's effort to free his son from the jaws of the criminal justice system – and to salvage their relationship. This story any parent can relate to.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
I did not set out to make a film about Restorative Justice in schools or the experiences of the Black students and families in Oakland. But in the course of making this film, it became clear that race and relationships were integral parts of telling Eric’s story. Just as unavoidable was asking whether Eric’s style and approach are consistent with the mainstream definition of “Restorative Practices”.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
It's been incredibly gratifying to travel with the film all over North America. We can't go anywhere without someone asking Eric if it's ok to hug him. But the best reaction has been to Eric's son, Tre. Whenever Tre comes on stage he gets a standing ovation. That's a pretty huge vindication for a kid who was arrested for a crime he didn't commit, and then got beaten in jail, and then was assured he was "lucky" when he he only had to spend two weeks behind bars.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
It's reaffirmed our decision to make this film and has made me as excited about our social impact and outreach as I was once to make this film.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
After telling the story of Circles, my next job is to tell the story of how two guys from vastly different backgrounds, Eric and I, came together as friends and partners to make this story a reality - which is, I think, just as important and impactful as the the film itself. We're hoping to continue to reach more people with screenings of Circles and to connect them with Eric, and his organization, Talking Peace, which also leads trainings for school districts, prosecutors, law enforcement, tech companies, and others.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
Journalists.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
We would like to see the emergence of a more honest and real image of Restorative Justice, as a means of building relationships and community, improving the quality of how we communicate across difference, and to reach as many people with Eric's story as possible.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
How do we use our values - rather than rules and punishment – to penetrate the needs of our community? Another way of asking that is, Why do teachers kick other people's kids out of school and think that's fine. But they would never kick their own kid out of the house without at least a plan for where they would end up safely. Why have our family values of love, care, and empathy become detached from how we run our society?
Would you like to add anything else?
Come catch one of our screenings. And stay afterward for the Q&A that is nothing like a Q&A you have ever experienced.
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
Check out www.soledadfilm.com.
Interview: March 2019
We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series, music video, women's films, LGBTQIA+, POC, First Nations, scifi, supernatural, horror, world cinema. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela
Circles
A Hurricane Katrina survivor who works to keep Black teenagers in school in Oakland, California finds his personal and professional lives colliding when his 15-year-old-son goes to jail for a crime he didn't commit.
Length: 1:21:36
Director: Cassidy Friedman
Producer: Cassidy Friedman
Writer: Cassidy Friedman
About the writer, director and producer:
CASSIDY FRIEDMAN directs and produces character-driven documentaries that call attention to unsung social justice pioneers of our time. His directing debut, CIRCLES, had its world premiere at Hot Docs 2018 and U.S. Premiere at Nashville Film Festival and won Special Mention for Best the Best Documentary Feature Award at Milwaukee Film Festival. Cassidy produced VOICES BEYOND THE WALL (2017), his company, Stories Matter Media’s first feature production, with Executive Producer James Franco, an official selection of the Miami International Film Festival, which received a glowing review in The Hollywood Reporter and won several awards, including Best Documentary Feature at the St. Louis International Film Festival.
Key cast: Eric Butler (star), Tre Thomas (main character), Mercedes Morgan (student), Betsye Steele (principal), Ted Quant (Eric's mentor)
Looking for: journalists, buyers
Facebook: Restorative Justice
Twitter: @FilmRestorative
Instagram: @friedmancassidy
Website: www.circlesmovie.com
Other: IMDB
Made in association with: Stories Matter Media LLC
Funders: IDA Pare Lorentz Fund, Pacific Pioneer Fund, MountainFilm
Where can I watch it next and in the coming month? Cinequest Film & Creativity Festival -March 14, Redwood City, Ca, March 16, San Jose, Ca., March 17, Redwood City, Ca.; Sebastopol Documentary Film Festival - March 30, Sebastopol, Ca.