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Complexities of race, violence, and justice in “When Claude Got Shot” on INDEPENDENT LENS, May 9 at 10 pm
< < Back to“WHEN CLAUDE GOT SHOT”
GRAPPLES WITH COMPLEXITIES OF GUN VIOLENCE AND HEALING IN ITS AFTERMATH, PREMIERES ON PBS’S INDEPENDENT LENS MAY 9, 2022
Directed by Award–Winning Filmmaker, Brad Lichtenstein, the Film Follows Three Strangers Tragically Bound Together Through Gun Violence and a Five–Year Journey Navigating a Flawed Justice System on the Way to Recovery and Forgiveness
While visiting his hometown of Milwaukee, father of three and aspiring attorney Claude Motley is shot in the face by 15–year–old Nathan King during a carjacking gone wrong. Two nights later, King attempts to rob Victoria Davison, who fires her gun in self–defense, partially paralyzing King from the waist down. For the next five years, “When Claude Got Shot” follows the story of these three strangers brought together by a weekend of gun violence.
Lauded by The Hollywood Reporter as “consistently engaging and frequently provocative,” “When Claude Got Shot” premiered at the 2021 SXSW film festival and is set to make its broadcast debut on INDEPENDENT LENS, the award–winning PBS documentary anthology series presented by ITVS, on May 9, 2022, at 10:00 p.m.
At the center of this story is Motley and his arduous recuperation, physically and emotionally, as he persists through multiple surgeries, catastrophic health care bills, and trauma. Over the course of his journey, Motley finds himself torn between punishment for King and the injustice of mass incarceration that disproportionately affects Black men and boys.
While Motley’s narrative is the focal point of the film, filmmaker Brad Lichtenstein also narrows in on King and his family as they navigate the criminal justice system and face the prospect of decades of imprisonment. Meanwhile, Davison struggles with the emotional repercussions of shooting a 15–year–old boy. With these interwoven narratives, the documentary provides an intimate and complex perspective on crime, community violence, and justice, leading up to a profound face–to–face meeting between Motley and King.
“We hope this deeply personal story inspires audiences to rethink crime and punishment in this country,” said Lois Vossen, executive producer of INDEPENDENT LENS. “There is often not a clear path to recovery or justice for those whose lives have been forever changed by gun violence, and this documentary exposes the many inequities in our criminal justice system, particularly for Black communities.”
“I am grateful to my very close friend, Claude, who opened himself up to sharing this story despite the pain and uncertainty he was going through,” said director Brad Lichtenstein.
“When Claude Got Shot” is included in INDEPENDENT LENS’s ongoing Stories for Justice initiative, a public media partnership to spotlight films about systemic racial inequities across America and aims to spark community conversations about justice reform.
Visit the “When Claude Got Shot” page on INDEPENDENT LENS for more information about the film.