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SAAM 2021 To-Watch List 

Check out these films and/or series that spread awareness about sexual assault, have a preventative slant, or tell a story about survival.

1. I May Destroy You

Available on HBO Max, BBC One

12 episodes - Trigger Warning: sexual assault

After being sexually assaulted in a nightclub, Arabella's life changes irreversibly and she is forced to reassess everything, including her career, friends, and family.

2. Promising Young Women

Available on YouTube, Google Play, Amazon Prime

R - 1hr 54min - Trigger Warning: sexual assault

Nothing in Cassie's life is what it appears to be -- she's wickedly smart, tantalizingly cunning, and she's living a secret double life by night. Now, an unexpected encounter is about to give Cassie a chance to right the wrongs from the past.

3.     The Shawshank Redemption

Available on Netflix 

R - 2hr 22min - Trigger Warning: sexual assault

This film follows the experiences of an imprisoned banker and the friendship he develops with an older inmate. Although the film contains problematic representations of prison sexual violence, identifying what the film gets wrong about sexual violence can serve as the basis for an interesting discussion.

4. I Am Evidence

Available on HBO NOW, HBO GO, HULU, Amazon Prime

Not Rated - 1hr 29min - Trigger Warning: sexual assault

This documentary follows the stories of survivors seeking justice through police departments and the courts. It identifies the failures of the US criminal justice system and the extreme backlog of unexamined rape kits and won Best Documentary at the 2019 News & Documentary Emmy Awards.

5. Spotlight

 Available on HULU, Amazon Prime

R - 2hr 8min - Trigger Warning: child abuse

This true newsroom drama starring Michael Keaton, Mark Ruffalo, and Rachel McAdams, follows a team of journalists who investigate allegations of child sexual abuse in the Catholic Church and unravel the complex cover-up. The film earned a surprise victory when it won Best Picture at the 2016 Academy Awards.

6. The Hunting Ground 

Available on Amazon Prime

PG-13 - 1h 34min - Trigger Warning: campus sexual assault

The Hunting Ground explores the trauma and turmoil victims of sexual assault face on college campuses. The film earned many nominations and wins across the festival circuit, as well as an Oscar nomination for Best Original Song--Lady Gaga recorded the original song, "Til It Happens to You," for the film’s soundtrack.