“Crime After Crime,” a documentary about a battered African American woman incarcerated for the murder of her husband, and the Orthodox Jew who set out to free her, will premiere at this month’s Sundance Film Festival. The initial screening is Jan. 23 in Park City, Utah.
“Crime After Crime” was produced and directed by Berkeley filmmaker Yoav Potash. It tells the story of the legal battle to free Debbie Peagler, who spent 26 years in prison. Her story took an unexpected turn when Joshua Safran, an Orthodox attorney from Berkeley, took her case and ultimately won her freedom in August 2009. Less than a year later, she died from lung cancer.
Filming in and out of prison over a five-year period, Potash documented the story as it unfolded, with exclusive access to Peagler and her attorneys.
After seven screenings in Utah, the 89-minute film will play Jan. 27 on the final day of the New York Jewish Film Festival and Feb. 20 in the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival.