Dawn Porter’s “Trapped” has landed a distribution deal. Trilogy Films, Big Mouth Productions, Cedar Creek Productions and Chicken & Egg Pictures have announced a partnership with Ro*Co Films, Abramorama, Film Sprout and Independent Lens to distribute the Sundance doc about those fighting to keep abortion safe and legal in the U.S.
“Trapped” takes its name from the hundreds of “TRAP” (Targeted Regulation of Abortion Providers) laws which have been passed by conservative state legislatures — the constitutionality of which will be determined by a landmark Supreme Court case later this year.
When the film premiered at Sundance — where it went on to win the U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award for Social Impact Filmmaking — Porter told Women and Hollywood that she wanted to remind her audience “that they cannot be complacent.” This collaborative distribution deal ensures that she can get that message across to as many people as possible.
“A true nationwide release of the film is our goal,” said Ro*Co Films founder, Annie Roney. “As distributors we are usually windowed against each other. But Abramorama and Film Sprout were willing to try something new so that all of America can access the film and see it together … It’s not unlike our larger goal — to keep access to abortion available to every woman in every state.”
Abramorama will manage theatrical distribution, with Ro*Co Films and Film Sprout teaming up to handle educational and community screenings.
Perhaps most exciting, impact-wise, is the news that PBS’s “Independent Lens” will air the film in June timed to the announcement of the Supreme Court’s decision. As producer Marilyn Ness said, the doc will be available “in every home in the country” — “at precisely the moment the issue addressed crystallizes in the collective social consciousness.”
“Trapped” will receive its New York premiere at the Athena Film Festival Thursday, February 18.
[via Press materials]