Reimagining Safety
Reimagining Safety (2023) is a documentary directed by Matthew Solomon with executive producer Donna Hadjikhani and consulting producer Michelle Silver. The film has had over 100 screening in over 50 cities with over 130 community organizations. Reimagining Safety premiered in Los Angeles, California with a festival premiere in 2023 and streaming premiere in 2024.
Following global protests over the 2020 [...] of George Floyd, Solomon felt called to action to produce this film. Reimagining Safety discusses defunding or abolishing the police and the challenges public safety reform faces. By interviewing abolitionists, academics, activists, and a former police officer, Solomon tells the story of defunding the police.
In the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, director Matthew Solomon returned to school to earn a master's degree in Public Administration, He thought this would be a step away from filmmaking but his academic advisors suggested he create a documentary film for his thesis project. Reimagining Safety became that film. Interviews were shot on an iPhone camera as Solomon traveled during the COVID-19 lockdowns to create the film.
Awards and recognition
- "Best Film" by Evident Change, Media for a Just Society Awards 2024
- "Best Documentary Feature" winner by the Los Angeles Independent Film Festival 2023 for Reimagining Safety
- "Best Documentary Feature Film" winner by the Crown Point International Film Festival 2023
- "Best Feature Documentary Film" nominee by the Oakland International Film Festival 2023
- "Best Cinematography" winner by The People's Film Festival, New York 2023
- "Documentary Feature Award of Recognition" by the Impact Docs Awards 2023
- "Best Film" winner by Evident Change for the Media for a Just Society Awards 2024 for Reimagining Safety
- "Best Documentary" winner by the Lost River Film Festival 2023 for Reimagining Safety
- Special Mention by the San Pedro International Film Festival 2023
- Honorable Mention by the Blackbird Film Festival 2022
- Honorable Mention by the Athens International Monthly Art Film Festival March 2023
Cast and crew
Ten experts are interviewed for the film. The crew includes director Matthew Solomon, executive producer Donna Hadjikhani, and co-executive producer Dr. Neda Hadjikhani.
Name |
Role |
|---|---|
Dr. Jody Armour |
The Roy P. Crocker Professor of Law at the University of Southern California |
Nikki Blak |
Sociologist, abolitionist, slam poet |
Sennett Devermont |
Police auditor, founder of the AFTP Foundation |
George Gascon |
Los Angeles Country District Attorney |
Jose Gutierrez |
Licensed clinical social worker, therapist, and Restorative Justice Practitioner |
Dr. El Jones |
Co-Lead Author of Defunding the Police: Defining the Way Forward for HRM and Professor of Political and Canadian Studies at Mount Saint Vincent University |
Hadiya Kennedy |
Former Detective at the Los Angeles Police Department |
Hawk Newsome |
Co-founder Black Lives Matter Greater New York and Black Opportunities |
Gina Viola |
Community Activist, 2022 candidate for Mayor of the City of Los Angeles |
Alex Vitale |
Sociology Professor and Coordinator of the Policing & Social Justice Project at Brooklyn College and author of The End of Policing |