Indieflix 2020 – Nevertheless
Taking a look behind the headlines of #MeToo and Time’s Up, Nevertheless follows the intimate stories of seven individuals who have experienced sexual harassment in the workplace or school context. From a writer's assistant on a top TV show to a Tech CEO and 911 dispatcher, the film shines a light on the ways in which we can shift our culture and rebuild.
Nevertheless we persist.
Interview with Writer/Director/Producer Sarah Moshman
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
Thank you! I made Nevertheless to shine a light on the people behind the headlines of #MeToo and Time's Up and to look at the sexual harassment crisis through a more holistic lens. If we want to truly make change when it comes to gender equality and sexual violence, we have to look at the systems that are in place that are the foundation for this behavior - toxic masculinity, intersectionality, how we socialize our children, how our legal system is set up, and how we view women overall. This film is meant to be informative and empowering for audiences to look within and take action. I made this film to move the needle in a meaningful way.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
Audiences should watch Nevertheless because it sits at the intersection of activism and storytelling. This is not a film pointing the finger at one bad person or one bad company, it has seven intimate stories featured of people in a variety of industries and socioeconomic backgrounds to show how varied these scenarios of sexual harassment can be, and to create empathy. You'll be entertained and you'll learn a lot, you'll feel outraged but also a lot of hope.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
Nevertheless is a combination of personal stories with expert interviews interwoven throughout the film to amplify those messages and relate them to the larger issue at hand that is universal. The personal stories are from some of the people on the front lines of the stories we heard during #MeToo and beyond: a 911 dispatcher, a writer's assistant on a massive TV show, a tech CEO, an auto plant worker, a military veteran, a transgender restaurant worker, and a middle school student. The universal themes covered include: sexual harassment, sexual assault, gender discrimination, hostile work environment, victim-blaming, toxic masculinity, privilege, race, gender roles, and much more.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
Nevertheless has continued to evolve from day one. With any documentary, you go into it thinking you are telling a specific part of a story, and you have to change as the story changes. With a film about sexual harassment, I started filming this the day before the Harvey Weinstein story broke in October 2017. Suddenly the film became so timely and important and I had to think deeply about how to add to this conversation that was happening everywhere. I didn't want to make a documentary about one bad apple and all of that person's transgressions. I wanted to make a film that could stand the test of time and look wider at how our culture and society got here in the first place. I foolishly went into this documentary thinking I could focus on sexual harassment in the workplace, but what I quickly realized is that you can't truly talk "solving" about sexual harassment without talking about all gender-based violence, and the roots of the problem which stretch far beyond the confines of one documentary. I had to find a way to balance information and education while still being cinematic and having a flow to the film. It was no easy task, but I'm so proud of how the film interweaves the personal and the professional, makes us think but can also make us feel. Editing this film felt like writing a thesis!
What type of feedback have you received so far?
The feedback has been wonderful so far! I am so encouraged by the way people are responding to the content and using it to be a tool in their workplace or school. This is the kind of documentary that is going to mean something different to each person based on their interaction with sexual harassment in their lives. Some of my favorite quotes so far have been:
"Brave, beautiful storytelling."
"A compass that guides us towards lasting change."
"This was such a rollercoaster of emotion to watch - I'm so impressed with how I went from feeling rage to feeling inspired to be part of the solution. Complex storytelling done so so well."
"This film does a great job dispelling myths about sexual harassment and explaining serious concepts in an entertaining matter. I appreciated that this was a hopeful film in the end and gave real everyday actions people could do to be part of the solution."
The ultimate compliment to the film is for schools, companies and organizations using it as a conversation starter in their communities, and for these stories to live on.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
The feedback has been humbling, as this film presents a lot of sensitive information and big concepts that are a lot to digest in 80 minutes. I am most excited truly for men to see this film, as we have the most to gain for men to show up as allies in the workplace. The more men examine their privileges, their complicity to harassing behaviors, and most importantly, see their role in the solution, the more our world will change. I want everyone to feel welcome to take part in this dialogue, we are all a part of the solution, but I have been the most surprised and intrigued by the feedback from men to this film.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
We want everyone to know that Nevertheless is available to be screened virtually within a school, group, organization or corporation around the world! Indieflix is our wonderful distributor and with their help, we have an entire film-based curriculum and program about sexual harassment that is an incredibly valuable tool for any community or company to incorporate. Head over to neverthelessfilm.com to Host A Screening - and with all that's happening with COVID-19, that can be done virtually and in the comfort of your home.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
Anyone can be an amplifier for this message, we need introductions and contacts within Human Resource departments, diversity and inclusion departments, school administrators interested in this kind of content, this is a film that can spark important change.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
I would be thrilled if Nevertheless is used as a companion to sexual harassment training curriculum in corporations, businesses of all sizes, business schools, universities, school systems and more worldwide. Typically sexual harassment training programs can be a bit outdated or boring for employees, so what if a film like this could be the way that we learn about sexual harassment and how to prevent it and how to move forward from it? That's very exciting to me, to see this film used as a valuable tool around the world. I believe in my heart that film has such a special, powerful way of creating change and Nevertheless has the ability to help do that.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
In what ways are we all complicit to sexual harassment?
What does allyship look like from men in the workplace?
What can we take from #MeToo and use as a positive tool to make our society more equal?
Would you like to add anything else?
I have two other films - The Empowerment Project is available on iTunes and Amazon, as well as for community screenings at empowermentproject.com and Losing Sight of Shore which follows a team of women rowing across the Pacific Ocean is available on Netflix worldwide as well as iTunes and Amazon.
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
For right now, in late March 2020, surviving the coronavirus pandemic is my biggest focus alongside motherhood. I hope to make many more films in my lifetime, but for now I'm focused on getting Nevertheless out to the world and being a good human.
Interview: March 2020
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
Nevertheless
Taking a look behind the headlines of #MeToo and Time’s Up, Nevertheless follows the intimate stories of seven individuals who have experienced sexual harassment in the workplace or school context. From a writer's assistant on a top TV show to a Tech CEO and 911 dispatcher, the film shines a light on the ways in which we can shift our culture and rebuild.
Nevertheless we persist.
Length: 1:20:00
Director: Sarah Moshman
Producer: Sarah Moshman, Scilla Andreen
Writer: Sarah Moshman
About the writer, director and producer:
SARAH MOSHMAN is an Emmy Award-winning documentary filmmaker and TEDx speaker whose work has been featured on Upworthy, Marie Claire, CNN, and Good Morning America. After directing two short documentaries about female empowerment in young women, Girls Rock! Chicago (2010) and Growing up Strong: Girls on the Run (2012), she set out to direct her first feature doc The Empowerment Project: Ordinary Women Doing Extraordinary Things (2014) which has been screened over 700 times around the US and around the world in schools, groups, organizations and corporations starting conversations about gender equality.
SCILLA ANDREEN is the CEO and Co-Founder of IndieFlix and the founder of the IndieFlix Foundation. She is the Producer and Director of the new documentary, Like, the Executive Producer/Producer of Angst and Angst series, It Gets Better and Co-Producer and Co-Executive Producer of Screenagers, as well as an Emmy nominated Costume Designer and Award-Winning Producer of such films as Bit Players, Outpatient and The Empowerment Project.
Looking for: journalists
Facebook: Nevertheless Documentary
Twitter: @neverthelessdoc
Instagram: @neverthelessfilm
Hashtags used: #neverthelessdoc #nevertheless #metoo #timesup
Website: www.neverthelessfilm.com
Other: watch.indieflix.com/social-impact
Where can I watch it next and in the coming month? The film is available for bookings via Indieflix.