Alex Winter’s ‘The YouTube Effect’ Pairs With Short Film On Court Watching Movement For Cinematic Double Header
deadline.comEXCLUSIVE: Moviegoers who catch Alex Winter’s new documentary The YouTube Effect can expect a cinematic bonus: We can reveal the film is preceded by a short documentary for the National Courtwatch Network narrated by Fiona Apple, with original music by the singer-songwriter.
The four-and-a-half minute long short, which also features narration from actor Jesse Williams and Dr. Carmen Johnson of Courtwatch PG, examines a growing movement to bring accountability to the judicial system by training court watchers to observe judicial proceedings “and report their findings to the public.” The movement picked up steam during the pandemic when many court proceedings were made available online, allowing Courtwatch volunteers around the country to monitor arraignments, bond hearings and other judicial matters that might otherwise go unwitnessed by members of the public. “This principle of courts open to the public was inscribed in the Constitution by the nation’s founders who themselves suffered injustice behind closed doors during British rule,” the narration notes.
The court watch movement “seeks to train a legion of volunteers to attend hearings and to learn the language and process of court so that they can take notes, amplify the injustices they witness and hold power accountable.” Apple herself has become an active court watcher. “Court watching is really the gateway to a better community, a better world, because it will make you care,” Apple told Pitchfork.com in a February interview. “It makes you care about people you don’t know.
And we need more of that.” Winter, The YouTube Effect director, told Deadline in an exclusive statement, “The lack of equal justice in courts is a systemic problem in this country.
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