No Visible Trauma | |
Director: | Marc Serpa Francoeur Robinder Uppal |
Producer: | Geoff Morrison Marc Serpa Francoeur Robinder Uppal |
Music: | Christine Bougie Joel Visentin |
Cinematography: | Daniel Froidevaux |
Editing: | Marc Serpa Francoeur Robinder Uppal |
Studio: | Big Cedar Films Lost Time Media |
Runtime: | 98 minutes |
Country: | Canada |
Language: | English |
No Visible Trauma is a 2020 Canadian documentary film, directed by Marc Serpa Francoeur and Robinder Uppal.[1] The film documents several allegations of abuse of power against the Calgary Police.[2]
It centres on the cases of Godfred Addai-Nyamekye, a person of colour who was involuntarily transported to the city limits and left to freeze in below-zero weather after a routine traffic stop, and was eventually tasered and beaten by the police officer who responded after Addai-Nyamekye called 911;[3] Daniel Haworth, a man who suffered a permanent brain injury when he was thrown to the ground by the same police officer who had tasered Addai-Nyamekye, eventually contributing to Haworth's subsequent death of a drug overdose;[4] and Anthony Heffernan, a man who died after being shot four times by police on an apparently routine wellness check.[5]
Now described the story telling as simple and direct and praised the documentary for avoiding stylistic drama and just telling the clear story of police abuse of power.[6]
A shorter edit of the film, titled Above the Law, aired on CBC Television in July 2020 as an episode of CBC Docs POV,[7] prior to the full film's theatrical premiere at the 2020 Vancouver International Film Festival.[8] Above the Law received a nomination for the Donald Brittain Award at the 9th Canadian Screen Awards in 2021.[9]