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An inspirational tale of courage and hope, The Interrupters is the multi awardwinning film from Oscar-nominated director Steve James (Hoop Dreams), with prizewinning author Alex Kotlowitz, whose original article inspired the film.
The Interrupters follows three “violence interrupters” from the CeaseFire organisation of Chicago who work intimately in their communities to intervene in potential incidents before they erupt into full-blown violent episodes and eventually stop the plague of violence sweeping their communities. It comes to DVD on 5 December 2011 courtesy of Dogwoof.
Shot over the course of one year, The Interrupters are: Ameena, Cobe and Eddie, all who have stories and histories of violence and gang activity. These “violence interrupters” use their own personal experiences and street credibility to work in the communities, interjecting where violence is prone to erupting and working with families to stop the infection and spread. Their work and their insights are informed by their own journeys, which, as each of them point out, defy characterisation.
Founded by Gary Slutkin, an epidemiologist who has worked throughout America and the world battling diseases such as cholera and AIDS, CeaseFire works on the principle that the spread of violence mimics that of infectious diseases, and so the treatment should be similar: go after the most infected, and stop the infection at its source.
Their work is fraught with moral dilemmas. They have to step between adversaries, often people they know. They need to acknowledge people’s grievances while simultaneously pulling them back from acting on them. As they venture into their communities, they confront the importance of family, the noxious nature of poverty, and the place of race. And they do it with incredible candour and directness.
Special Features:
- 41 minutes of deleted scenes specially complied by Steve James
UK Theatrical Trailer
Additional Film trailers (other Dogwoof releases)
Al Jazeera Fabulous Picture Show on “The Interrupters” including interview with Steve James
Short Film from “Chaos Theory” (UK equivalent of Ceasefire Interrupters)
‘Exceptional, powerful, poignant and, surprisingly, optimistic’ – Empire
‘Awe-inspiring’ – Uncut
‘A visceral, powerful and educational experience’ – ***** Moviescope
‘If The Wire’s urban tapestries were real, they might look like this’ – Total Film
Winner, Special Jury Award, Sheffield Doc Fest, 2011
Official Selection, Sundance Film Festival, 2011
Special Jury Award, Full Frame Film Festival, 2011
Official Selection, South by Southwest Film Festival, 2011
Reviewer of movies, videogames and music since 1994. Aortic valve operation survivor from the same year. Running DVDfever.co.uk since 2000. Nobel Peace Prize winner 2021.