“Cynthia Lowen scores another infuriating triumph”
“A wake-up call about the impact of harassment... Netizens is first-class.”
“Lowen’s greatest achievement is the way she conveys aspects of patriarchy and misogyny”
NETIZENS—directed by BULLY co-producer/writer Cynthia Lowen—exposes the proliferation of cyber harassment faced by women, spreading from the web to the most intimate corners of their lives. The feature documentary follows three women who are targets of harassment, along with lawyers, advocates, policymakers and others, as they confront digital abuse and strive for equality and justice online.
NETIZENS challenges the notion cyber harassment is “only” online, depicting the repercussions on targets’ lives: lost jobs, thwarted educations, damaged reputations, offline harassment and stalking, and countless hours devoted to containing attacks against a backdrop of mounting legal fees and psychological distress.
The internet as the “wild west”—where abuse is the price of admission—is quickly changing. As the web emerges as the most important public space in our communities, and equal access a civil right, a new generation of lawyers, advocates, technologists, policymakers and others are challenging the status quo.
Currently, 38 states plus DC have enacted laws against non-consensual pornography. Social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter and reddit are revising their terms of use to prevent harassment on their platforms. Recently, Google, Bing and Yahoo announced they would de-index explicit images posted without the subject’s consent. Meanwhile, as several high-profile privacy invasion and harassment cases make the headlines, the debate over free speech online has become a critical issue of our time.
NETIZENS bears witness as a courageous wave of individuals transform the web as we know it. Featuring Carrie Goldberg, Tina Reine, and Anita Sarkeesian.
From Cynthia Lowen, the producer of the award-winning BULLY and executive producer Abigail Disney (The Invisible War, The Armor of Light, Hot Girls Wanted), Executive Producer Gina Reticker (Cameraperson, She’s Beautiful When She’s Angry), and Executive Producer Barbara Dobkin (The Hunting Ground, Budrus). Supported by Fork Films, IDA Enterprise Fund, New York State Council of the Arts. In association with Ruth Ann Harnisch.