Simone with her daughter — courtesy of ‘The Abominable Crime’ film
On September 19, 2013, The Pulitzer Center will host the Washington, D.C. premiere of “The Abominable Crime” at the West End Cinema. The film will play in collaboration with the Pulitzer Center Film Festival’s “Global Crisis, Human Stories” week-long event.
The festival opens with “The Abominable Crime”, directed by Micah Fink and Maurice Tomlinson. The film is a documentary that explores the culture of homophobia in Jamaica through the eyes of gay Jamaicans who are forced to choose between their homeland and their lives after their sexual orientations are exposed.
Simone is a young lesbian single mother who survived a brutal anti-gay shooting. Now she must choose between hiding with her daughter in Jamaica or escaping alone. Maurice Tomlinson, one of Jamaica’s leading human-rights activists, is outed after filing a lawsuit challenging his country’s anti-sodomy law. After a flood of death threats, he escapes, and then risks everything to return and continue his activism. Their stories expose the roots of homophobia in Jamaican society, and offer an intimate first-person perspective on the risks and challenges of seeking asylum.
The free D.C. premiere takes place on Sept 19 at 7 p.m. A discussion with the filmmakers will follow the screening. Below are a list of other dates and times the film will be showing during the film festival.
Thursday, September 19: DC Premiere
7 p.m.: The Abominable Crime
Discussion with director Micah Fink and Maurice Tomlinson
Reception to follow
Saturday, September 21:
3 p.m.: The Abominable Crime
Sunday, September 22:
9:20 p.m.: The Abominable Crime
Tuesday, September 24:
5 p.m.: The Abominable Crime
Thursday, September 26:
9:20 p.m.: The Abominable Crime
