Film looks at rape of teen girl in Steubenville

Staff report

At a preseason party in nearby Steubenville, a heinous crime took place: the assault of a teenage girl by members of the beloved high-school football team.

A new documentary titled “Roll Red Roll” painstakingly reconstructs the night of the crime and its aftermath, while also uncovering the ingrained rape culture at the heart of the incident. The film acts as a cautionary tale about what can happen when teenage social media bullying runs rampant and adults look the other way.

Directed by Nancy Schwartzman, winner of seven documentary feature awards, “Roll Red Roll” will get its national broadcast and streaming debut on the PBS documentary series POV and pov.org Monday at 10 p.m. on 13 WQED-TV Pittsburgh (10:30 p.m. June 22 on Western Reserve Public Media). POV is American television’s longest-running independent documentary series, debuting its 32nd season with Schwartzman’s investigative film.

What transpired in Steubenville went on to garner international media attention and resulted in the sentencing of two key offenders; but it was the disturbing social media evidence uncovered by crime blogger Alexandria Goddard, that provoked the most powerful questions about collusion.

Not only did teen witnesses and bystanders discredit the victim, but teachers, parents and coaches seemed to protect the assailants. With unprecedented access, the film shares text messages, social media posts, police interviews and the unmasked responses of town residents.

Like many communities across the country, Steubenville takes pride in its high-school athletics.

Talented and promising young male athletes are practically town ambassadors, held in high regard by their classmates and the entire community. So when two of these young men are charged with the rape of another student, the entire social structure of Steubenville is threatened, and a legacy of sexual assault and forced silence spanning years is revealed.

The film looks closely at social media, a tool that turns out to be remarkably malleable depending on which party is involved.

For students, social media documents the acts that took place, becoming a platform to engage in callous and desensitized mockery of the crime of rape.

Local authorities use evidence gathered online to assist with their investigation of the case, including incriminating tweets and 400,000 text messages.

For Goddard, social media presents an opportunity to spread awareness about the high school’s toxic “rape culture” where a “boys-will-be-boys” attitude runs rampant.

For the rest of the nation, disturbing images, video and dialog revealed online create a shocking paper trail that anyone – from concerned citizens to hacktivist group Anonymous – can follow.

“Disturbing and illuminating, ‘Roll Red Roll’ goes beyond the individuals directly responsible for the assault, widening its lens on the role of the community responsible for the victim’s well-being,” said Justine Nagan, executive producer/executive director of POV/American Documentary.

“It presents a clear opportunity to shift our focus from the victim and the victim’s behavior to where the scrutiny belongs. More than five years after Steubenville made headlines, ‘Roll Red Roll’ brings an essential perspective, and conversation, in this #MeToo era.”

“Roll Red Roll” comes with an impact campaign spearheaded by Schwartzman, a globally-recognized human rights and anti-violence activist. The campaign is designed to engage men and boys in the conversation and the work to prevent sexual violence.