“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 have its Bay Area premiere Sunday, April 24.
“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, Peagler 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.
The upcoming screenings, which are hosted by the San Francisco International Film Festival, take place at 6 p.m. April 24 and 9 p.m. May 2 at the Sundance Kabuki Cinemas in S.F., and 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 27, at the Pacific Film Archive in Berkeley. Screenings include a Q&A with filmmaker Yoav Potash; protagonists featured in the film will also be present. Jewish Family and Children’s Services also will hold a benefit reception and screening May 3.
For more information or tickets, go to crimeaftercrime.com.