Director's Take

I remember seeing the New York Times headline "Rape Allegations Against Athletes Is Roiling Duke" one morning in 2006. Of course, I was instantly curious about what had happened. I never thought that 10 years later I would be making a film about the subject.

People say I make films about controversial topics. But good stories are good stories and they're usually controversial. However, I had no idea what I was getting into with this particular story. So many people didn't want to talk to me, but little by little the doors started to open.

What most struck me about the Duke Lacrosse story were the unintended consequences of that night in March 2006. How a false accusation destroyed reputations, how a DA acted inappropriately and illegally, how a University's knee-jerk response left their students abandoned at a time when they most needed help and guidance. And most important of all, how a media-obsessed country so much wanted this story to be true.

What most interests me is what we can all learn from this story. I hope this film helps viewers understand the damage that an event like this can do to so many people's lives.

I also want to emphasize that this film focuses on a case where men where falsely accused and where a DA engaged in serious professional misconduct. This should not in any way detract from the fact that the vast majority of reports of sexual assault are true. To use this case as representative of a wider issue would be a profound injustice to the real victims who have the courage to come forward.