In the midst of a global uprising against police brutality and systemic racism, No Visible Trauma / Above the Law examines a deeply troubled police department and reveals the devastating
consequences of unchecked police brutality.
Despite its relatively low crime rates, recent year have seen the Calgary Police Service shoot and kill more people than officers in any other Canadian city, and more than either the New York or Chicago police departments in 2018. Five years in the making, No Visible Trauma unravels the intertwined stories of three individuals who were the victims of extreme violence at the hands of police officers. From the kidnapping and beating of a young immigrant from Ghana, to the fatal shooting of an unarmed man during a “wellness check”, the film exposes a criminal justice system that fails to hold police officers accountable for their actions.
A co-production with Lost Time Media, in association with CBC Docs, and with the participation of the Hot Docs Ted Rogers Fund, Ontario Creates and CPTC.
No Visible Trauma, 97min / 52min (International) / Above the Law, 44min (Canada), 2020
Watch Above the Law on CBC Gem or YouTube (Canada only)
Select Festivals, Awards & Press:
World Premiere: Vancouver International Film Festival
International Premiere: DOC.fest Munich
Nominee: Canadian Screen Awards — Donald Brittain Award, Best Social / Political Documentary
Nominee: Golden Sheaf Awards — Best Social / Political Documentary
Winner: Jacksonville Film Festival — Best Feature Documentary
Winner: CUFF.Docs — Audience Award “Best Documentary Feature”
Winner: Grand River Film Festival — Audience Choice Award
Honourable Mention: Available Light Film Festival — “Best Canadian Feature”
“A must-see… if you want to be familiar with what happens in this country when police violence goes unchecked, you need to brace yourself and watch… It’s wonderfully made and the thriller-like twist near its end is a scorcher.”
— John Doyle, The Globe and Mail (July 10, 2020)