Why Attorney Ben Crump Allowed ‘Civil’ Filmmakers to Follow His Work on High-Profile Civil Rights Cases
variety.comClayton Gutzmore Civil rights attorney Ben Crump commanded the attention of the audience inside the New World Center Performance Hall in Miami Beach for the kickoff to the 2022 American Black Film Festival on Wed.
June 15, where he took the stage to introduce “Civil,” the upcoming Netflix documentary about his life and work.“I keep getting asked, ‘Why did I do this?’ Crump recounted. “I said, I understand, we always have to fight in two courts when we’re fighting for the lives and the dignity and the humanity of Black people: the court of law and the court of public opinion.”Speaking before crowd of filmmakers, film fans and some personal friends, Crump declared how the documentary wouldn’t be possible without Kenya Barris, who knows how to portray the Black experience on film. “Kenya created ‘Black-ish’ and wrote ‘Girls Trip’ and [created] ‘America’s Next Top Model’ … We present those experiences in Black America, but we can have other experiences we believe are just as important,” Crump added, saying the the prolific producer is “necessary to our culture.”Crump also thanked award-winning filmmaker Nadia Hallgren, who directed the documentary, as the trio took the stage with Netflix’s LaLani Smith and ABFF Ventures president Nicole Friday as part of ABFF’s opening night ceremony. (Roger Ross Williams and Lauren Cioffi also produced the film).Debuting on June 19 on Netflix, “Civil” follows Crump’s work as the killing of unarmed Black people like Breonna Taylor, Trayvon Martin and George Floyd devastated people of color across the United States and the world.
The documentary features behind-the-scenes footage of the attorney tackling these cases, allowing audiences to witness his hectic year as he travels to represent.
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