The plots of movies and political ads seem to mirror each other. Two women drive anxiously toward the state line, and during a traffic stop, a police officer demands a pregnancy test.
Two independent filmmakers argue that this is no mere coincidence, with the Democracy Campaign, a PAC founded by California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, announcing a new ad about abortion that will be released in 2023 as a short film. Roed”. access.
The film’s producers, Dawn Lambing and Tara Bissett, sent a letter to Newsom on Thursday, which was obtained by The New York Times, and the film, called “The Fugitive,” will be released in Alabama on Monday. Requested to be credited in the group’s advertisement.
They were on “the same side” as the governor in opposing “draconian” restrictions on abortion, but wrote that “when viewed shot by shot, virtually the entire ad directly reproduces our work.” There is.
“We are appalled to see our work essentially copied without any acknowledgment or attribution to us, much less having sought or obtained our permission in the first place. “, the filmmakers wrote.
Democratic Movement spokeswoman Lindsay Cobia said in a statement Saturday that the similarities between the ad and the film were unintentional.
“We didn’t know about this movie, but we admire it,” Kobia said. “Our spots were uniquely derived based on common metaphors.”
There are several differences between a PAC ad that is 30 seconds long and a movie that is just under 10 minutes long. The ad is set in Alabama, and the woman driving is a woman seeking abortion services. She is forced to take a pregnancy test and the ad ends with a patrol officer arresting her and handcuffing her.
In the film, both the driver and passenger are asked to take pregnancy tests at the side of the road in unspecified circumstances by two police officers, one of whom draws a gun. Officers released them after the test results came back negative. What they don’t see is another woman hiding in the trunk of the car, a woman seeking an abortion.
The ad has been airing for two weeks on broadcast and cable TV, as well as online, in Alabama, where Republicans are pushing for prosecution of women who travel to other countries for abortions. The state’s anti-abortion laws are among the strictest in the nation, outlawing abortions at all stages of pregnancy, with exceptions for rape and incest.
“Roed” won Best Short Film at last year’s ACTRA Montreal Short Film Festival and will be screened at the Brooklyn Film Festival later this spring.
“As independent filmmakers, reputation is everything, and the unmistakable similarities between the advertisement and our work threaten the authenticity and integrity of our original ideas, concepts, and execution.” they are writing.
Newsom has emerged as a key surrogate for President Biden, with his own White House ambitions. He has regularly skirmished with Republican governors, Republican-led states and conservative news outlets over abortion access, immigration, crime and other issues.
Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall (R) has filed a lawsuit against the Department of Justice and abortion aid agencies over whether the state has the authority to prosecute individuals and organizations that help women leave the state for abortions. They are in conflict with the providers.
Last month, Republicans introduced a bill in the Alabama House of Representatives that would make it a misdemeanor to harbor or transport minors seeking abortion services.
In February, the Alabama Supreme Court ruled that frozen embryos are people with rights, casting a cloud of uncertainty on IVF. The state later passed a law granting criminal and civil immunity to IVF clinics, but it did not address whether embryos had legal human status.
