Series/Themes: Virtual Screening

Genre: Documentaries

Film Year: 2020

Locations: United States

Film Length: 82 min.

Languages: English

Director: Dierdre Fishel

Minneapolis’ first female police chief, Janeé Harteau, works to reform the Minneapolis Police Department by getting rid of bad cops, retraining the rest, diversifying the ranks, and promoting women—who statistically use less force than their male counterparts—into every rank of leadership. This timely documentary offers an unprecedented view into the Minneapolis Police Department’s inner workings, chronicling a community grappling with racism and the troubled history of police misconduct long before an MPD officer killed George Floyd in May 2020. Focusing on four women in Harteau’s department who seek to redefine what it means to protect and serve, the film reveals the limitations of police reform through incremental change and asks questions about gender equity and public safety that apply well beyond the city of Minneapolis. Introduction by director Deirdre Fishel

Women in Blue is part of the Women in Film Series supported by Virginia Commission for the Arts & National Endowment for the Arts