Under the neon lights of the gay-friendly West Village neighborhood of New York City, four young African-American women are attacked by an older man, and then face slanderous media coverage and egregious sentences as they are charged and convicted as a “Lesbian Gang” for defending themselves. The women came to be known as the New Jersey Four.
The documentary Out in the Night tells the story of the women’s trial and prison sentences, and the years-long fight by relatives and activists to get them released, revealing how the media, homophobia, and racism all work together to stigmatize and victimize LGBTQ people of color.
Out in the Night has screened in over 50 international festivals, won awards at several of them, and been named to numerous top-10 documentary lists for 2014, including Alternet and the Advocate.
“This film could help influence the ongoing LGBT civil rights struggle. Everyone should see it.”
—RogerEbert.com
“By giving us a glimpse into the human lives at stake in this high-profile case and confronting the complicated gray areas that fill in its background, this film begins to provide the nuance and understanding that the American justice system and media lack.”
—Bitch Magazine
“Out in the Night goes on to show … black bodies are at risk everywhere, especially, as the film makes clear, ‘Out In The Night’.”
—PopMatters
“…issues of self-defense and resistance as black women, and more specifically as LGBT people of color who continually face this type of harassment, become the main focus. Who has the right to resist?”
—IndieWire | Shadow & Act
“Out in the Night is Infuriating and Depressing in Equal Measure”
—Village Voice
“This impassioned social issue documentary serves as a strong indictment of tabloid journalism and a prejudicial legal system.”
—Hollywood Reporter
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