19 minutes / 2024 / Color / USA
Director / Producer / Editor
Although experiencing a lifelong battle with pain and trauma, Jerod Draper lived an average, normal life in Southern Indiana. During high school, Jerod started to get off track after losing his best friend at the age of 14, and his first love at 15. To cope with the sudden loss at such a young age, Jerod started experimenting with drugs. After high school and through his younger-adult years, Jerod's substance abuse amplified. Throughout his 20s and 30s, Jerod continued to fight for sobriety while marrying and having a daughter. Following the divorce and not being able to see his daughter due to substance abuse, Jerod made a vow to stay clean. On October 4th, 2018 - Jerod was well over a year sober, yet fighting a familiar challenge, the severe depression and anxiety induced by weaning from drugs. During that evening, Jerod endures a fatal night of torture while in custody after being arrested for a routine traffic stop.
AWARDS:
Grand Jury Award for Best Documentary Short Film, Austin Film Festival (2023)
Audience Choice Award for Best Documentary Short Film, Austin Film Festival (2023)
Grand Jury Award for Best Hoosier Documentary, Bloomington International Film Festival (2023)
Webbys Honoree for Best Documentary, Public Service & Activism (2023)
Best Editing Award, Oregon Documentary Film Festival (2023)
Best Picture Award (Finalist), Oregon Documentary Film Festival (2023)
Best Mixed Bag Award, Dayton Independent Film Festival (2023)
Grand Jury Award for Best Documentary Short Film, Charlotte Film Festival (2023)
Grand Jury Award for Best Documentary Short Film (Indiana Reels), Hobnobben Film Festival (2023)
FESTIVAL SCREENINGS:
Indy Film Fest | Indianapolis, Indiana (April 2023)
Dumbo Film Festival | Brooklyn, New York (October 2024)
American Documentary Film Festival | Palm Springs, California (March 2023)
Minnesota Film Festival | Duluth, Minnesota (March 2023)
Social Impact Film Festival | Boston, Massachusetts (April 2023)
Interrobang Film Festival | Des Moines, Iowa (June 2023)
River Bend Film Festival | Goshen, Indiana (April 2023)
Louisville’s International Festival of Film | Louisville, Kentucky (September 2023)
Oak Cliff Film Festival | Dallas, Texas (June 2023)
Upike Film Festival | Pikeville, Kentucky (April 2023)
Double Exposure Film Festival | Washington, D.C. (November 2024)
Bloomington Indiana Film Festival | Bloomington, Indiana (April 2023)
Oregon Documentary Film Festival | Portland, Oregon (June 2023)
Charlotte Film Festival | Charlotte, North Carolina (September 2023)
Austin Film Festival | Austin, Texas (October 2023)
Dayton Independent Film Festival | Dayton, Ohio (September 2023)
Hobnobben Film Festival | Fort Wayne, Indiana (October 2023)
Sidewalk Film Festival | Birmingham, Alabama (August 2023)
Rhode Island International Film Festival | Providence, Rhode Island (August 2023)
Victory International Film Festival | Evansville, Indiana (September 2023)
Indy Shorts International Film Festival, Presented by Heartland Film | Indianapolis, Indiana (July 2023)
