Guilty Until ProvenInnocent premiered at the Avalon Theater in Washington D.C.
to a near capacity audience. It was a moving experience for those in
attendance. The theater was filled with individuals who had some level of
familiarity with the family courts.
There was a police officer whose future
career is uncertain because he can no longer carry a sidearm due to a serial
accusers false allegations of abuse. Then came a grandmother and sister who
have been denied any relationship with, and access to, the children of their
son and brother after he could no longer withstand the pressure of family court
and ended his life.
One fellow traveled over 500 miles to
attend the opening of the film and another guy who had just spent 10 days in
jail for non-payment of $250 in child support for a daughter who lives with him
also attended. Pastors, professors and social workers who share an interest in
the topic attended. For 50 minutes people were riveted as they saw five fathers
talk bluntly about the devastating impact family court had on their lives and
relationships with their children.
Washington Post columnist Janice D’Arcy
wrote this article about the film. We made no pretense of telling this family
court story from any perspective other than that of fathers. The fact that 84%
of children who are not living with both their parents live without their dads
says plenty about where the problem lies. We agree with D'Arcy and hope GUPI is
the first step on reforming family courts. Read the article and leave your polite
opinion and suggestions for improving family law.
The after showing question and answer
session with Maryland
legislator Jill Carter, Filmmaker Janks Morton and 100 Fathers CEO Frankly
Malone was excellent. The audience was about equal numbers men and women. It
was racially diverse as well. As we’ve noted many times everyone, regardless of
race, sex, political affiliation or socio-economic status, has an interest in
reforming family law. A number of people committed to becoming active in effort
to change the system.
Plans are developing to undertake
similar types of showings in communities around the nation. Stay tuned.
_________________________
In his most provocative
documentary to date filmmaker Janks Morton turns his lens to the crisis in America's
family courts. Utilizing the stories of
five men Morton reveals the untold story of how family court processes yield
millions of fatherless children. The
massive machine of family courts directly impact the lives of nearly one third
of our nation's citizens, with little oversight and limits on its enormous
power. It is a system riddled with
conflicts of interest where the 'best interest of the child' is often an
afterthought.
Guilty Until Proven
Innocent is the beginning of a necessary national dialogue. http://www.gupifilm.com/
