The Hunting Ground (2015)

An exposé of rape crimes on U.S. college campuses, their institutional cover-ups, and the devastating toll they take on students and their families.

Director:

Kirby Dick

Writer:

Kirby Dick

Stars:

Andrea Pino, Annie Clark, Claire Potter

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 8 wins & 22 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Andrea Pino	...	Herself
Annie Clark	...	Herself
Claire Potter	...	Herself - Professor of History (as Claire Bond Potter)
Melinda Manning	...	Herself - Assistant Dean of Students, University of North Carolina
Kimberly Theidon	...	Herself - Medical Anthropologist and Former Harvard Professor
Kamilah Willingham	...	Herself
Mrs. Willingham	...	Herself - Kamilah Willingham's Mother
Caroline Heldman	...	Herself - Associate Professor of Politics, Occidental College
David Lisak	...	Himself - Clinical Psychologist
Leslie Strohm	...	Herself - General Counsel, University of North Carolina (archive footage)
Danielle Dirks	...	Herself - Assistant Professor of Sociology, Occidental College
Diane Rosenfeld	...	Herself - Lecturer on Law, Harvard Law School (as Diane L. Rosenfeld)
Pat Cottrell	...	Himself - Former University Campus Police Officer, Saint Mary's College
Rachel Hudak	...	Herself
Carol Ann Mooney	...	Herself - President, Saint Mary's College (archive footage)

Storyline

From the makers of The Invisible War (2012) comes a startling exposé of rape crimes on U.S. college campuses, their institutional cover-ups and the devastating toll they take on students and their families. Weaving together verité footage and first-person testimonies, the film follows the lives of several undergraduate assault survivors as they attempt to pursue - despite incredible push back, harassment, and traumatic aftermath - both their education and justice.

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Plot Keywords:

college | feminism | university | rape | victim | 

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Taglines:

For 1 in 5 women, their dream school will become a nightmare.

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Genres:

Documentary

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for disturbing thematic material involving sexual assault, and for language

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 January 2016 (Belgium)

Also Known As:

Campus Assaults

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$22,464, 1 March 2015, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$405,917

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$411,115

Company Credits

Production Co:

Chain Camera Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

103 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

The documentary has been denounced by 19 Harvard Law School professors who challenged the accuracy of the film.

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Connections

Features The Daily Show (1996)

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Soundtracks

Words As Weapons
Written by Birdy (as Jasmine Van Den Bogaerde) and Ryan Tedder
Performed by Birdy
Courtesy of Warner Music UK Ltd.
By arrangement with Warner Music Group Film & TV Licensing

User Reviews

Watch it

It is as easy as that. You have to watch this film. Everyone should watch it and then have a conversation of why this may be happening.

"The Hunting Ground" is a documentary about rape crimes in US colleges and how many of these stories get covered up for different reasons, including prestige, money or influence. It brings many of the victims and victims' families stories to the light, and a chance for them to be heard.

Even if it dedicates a fair amount of time to the "work" of the universities and the system in keeping these rapes silenced, this is not just a documentary on the reasons behind the cover-ups, but much more. It is the story of the victims and of how some of them have gotten together to try to stop the culture that protects the attackers from being persecuted.

The filmmakers do a very good job in explaining the situation and in giving all the victims a fair amount of time. The stories are balanced and all the factors are easily explained so the viewer can understand how it is these rapes are being, in the majority of cases, just plain ignored.

As said in the summary, this is one of those movies that everyone should watch.