“The movie had a huge impact on my life, because I myself was assaulted the summer going into my senior year of high school,” Dreyfous said.
She started out on the project by driving around Diane Warren, the writer of the film’s theme song “Till it Happens to You,” which was performed by Lady Gaga at the Oscars. Working at Planned Parenthood for two years also gave her an appreciation for the gravity of reproductive rights and the obstacles women face to exercise them. Dreyfous filmed an event held at the University of Oregon that addressed a sexual assault case that had been discussed for months at the time.ĭreyfous says that meeting survivors of sexual assault helps other victims become stronger and more independent, and, by seeing others grow past the traumatic event, find hope in themselves. McKarah Dreyfous, one of the producers of The Hunting Ground, first got involved with the documentary after viewing The Invisible War at the Sundance Film Festival in 2012. Multiple survivors recount being left out of the litigation process altogether, or being harassed by emergency responders asking irrelevant - and what they found to be offensive - questions. One story details the hurdles a victim placed because the perpetrator in her case happened to be an athlete. Some have faced scorn from friends and others in their social lives for making an accusation, or from higher powers that act in the interest of reputation and finances. While each experience differs, the common denominator seems to be a pressure to keep quiet. The film details the struggles of several people - male and female - who chose to speak out and were swiftly condemned or ignored. The film focuses on the pattern seen throughout history of what the mission statement describes as “institutional cover-ups, rationalizations, victim-blaming, and denial that creates perfect storm conditions for predators to prey with impunity.” The film follows undergraduate survivors Andrea Pino and Annie Clark who, after their respective experiences, continue with their education while simultaneously struggling to uphold justice. The Hunting Ground is written and directed by Kirby Dick and produced by Amy Ziering, and is available to stream on Netflix. Now enters The Hunting Ground, a documentary film consisting of compiled footage along with survivor and expert testimonies that was shown on campus on April 1. Across the country, survivors are coming together to fight not only the rape culture they allege is perpetuated but also the response - or lack thereof - by the university and authorities. This is a multi-pronged issue that expands beyond the initial incident. However, this is not an easy subject to discuss.
On college campuses, sexual assault is both a hot-button topic and a serious issue.