'Bama Rush' Director Talks Alleged Threats Surrounding Doc: 'Access Was Challenging' (Exclusive)

etonline.com:

director Rachel Fleit originally began work on her University of Alabama sorority documentary because she wanted to study what it meant to be a young woman today.

By the time she was done, her answer was punctuated with something far more sinister than what she could have predicted. Fleit and her team faced an onslaught of rumors about their filming practices, she told ET, which culminated in alleged threats that necessitated a security detail and led to one participant cutting off contact from the documentary. «It felt really scary, honestly,» Fleit said. «My intention was to tell the story of what it means to be a young woman right now, and the backlash was intense.» Known as #BamaRush to its TikTok followers, the University of Alabama's cutthroat recruitment process first went viral in August 2021, when users around the globe found themselves mysteriously captivated with the social schedules and daily outfit announcements of Alabama students in pursuit of a sorority bid. «It became like a sport,» Fleit recalled. «And why do we watch sports so much?

Because it helps be a part of a community and we want to cheer for people and for people to win.»She's right: when rush began again in 2022, one TikTok user told their followers, «This is my Super Bowl.» follows four students in their preparations to rush for the 2022-23 academic year.

Finding women willing to speak on camera, though, was Fleit's first bump in the road. Fleit told ET she reached out to hundreds of young women, both high school seniors and active college students, most of whom said no, citing codes of conduct prohibiting their participation. «The participation access was challenging,» Fleit said. «Hundreds of women told us they weren't allowed to.