Doublespeak (2020)
10 min | USA | Dir: Hazel McKibbin
Emma grapples with the aftermath of reporting sexual harassment in the workplace.
Director's Statement
After Trump got elected in 2016, I finally decided to report that I was being sexually harassed in the workplace. It was before the #metoo movement and the company's response was not what I hoped for. I felt like I didn't have a voice in the situation, so when I went to Columbia for my MFA, DOUBLESPEAK was the first thing I felt compelled to write.
In making the short, it was really important to me to work with as many womxn as possible.I knew that watching Angela re-enact my experiences would be grueling, and so I surrounded myself with a diverse crew of friends who supported and championed me. I couldn't have made the film without them.
I'd like this film to be part of a conversation about sexual harassment in the workplace and serve as a reminder that, even after the #metoo movement, it happens all too often. If someone can watch the film and feel what Emma feels - how I felt - I'd like to think they'd want to be part of changing these practices.
I'm interested in continuing to make films rooted in exploring power dynamics and informed by my own experience. As an artist, I am drawn towards realism, often through a feminist lens, and the idea that compelling stories can be created from ordinary relationships and interactions.