Quiet No More
After Reverend Sharon Risher’s mother was killed by a white supremacist in the historically black Mother Emanuel AME Church massacre in Charleston, SC, on June 17, 2015, she found herself struggling to cope. Though many in her church community were soon able to forgive the killer, Risher was not. Viewers will follow Risher’s journey as she begins her healing process, turning to social activism and working nationwide to speak out against racism and gun violence.
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Eléonore HamelinDirector and Producer
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Jamie FrancisDirector of Photography
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Greg MoyerExecutive Producers
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Pam HulingExecutive Producers
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Greg SniderEditor
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Rob FinchCreative Director
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Sebastian WeinbergProduction Manger
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Dickson MusslewhiteConsulting Producer
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Robert BurgerOriginal Music
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Conner LeeGraphics
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Miró MerrillGraphics
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Kashi HallColor
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Digital OneSound Design
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Vlady GarciaAdditional Sound Operating
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Jason GreeneAdditional Camera
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Luisa ConlonAdditional Camera
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Eléonore HamelinAdditional Camera
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Eric SchoenbrunAdditional Editing
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Sebastian WeinbergSupervising Producer
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Sara Joe WolanskySupervising Producer
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Soo-Jeong KangSupervising Producer
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Getty ImagesArchival
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CNNNews Footage
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Whitehouse.govNews Footage
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Project Type:Documentary, Short
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Genres:Activism, Social Justice
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Runtime:26 minutes 55 seconds
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Completion Date:July 24, 2019
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Country of Origin:United States
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Country of Filming:United States
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Language:English
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Shooting Format:HD
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Aspect Ratio:16:9
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Film Color:Color
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First-time Filmmaker:No
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Student Project:No
Eléonore Hamelin is a NY-based journalist and producer. At Blue Chalk Media she has produced for such clients as The New York Times, Bloomberg Philanthropies, and Pearson and has traveled to dozens of far-off destinations. She’s also an Adjunct Professor of Video Journalism at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism, where she earned a master’s degree in 2012. She has worked with the BBC, The Guardian, Arte, Vox.com, and in 2018, she reported from the U.S.-Mexico border as an International Women’s Media Foundation fellow. In 2017 she received a European Journalism Centre grant to report on women’s issues in Rwanda.
I always remembered vividly the Charleston Church Massacre in June of 2015 — from the tragedy itself to the bond hearing, Obama singing “Amazing Grace,” and the nationally televised forgiveness of Dylan Roof.
While researching a different story, a profile of Reverend Sharon Risher, whose mother and two cousins were killed at Mother Emanuel, drew my attention.
She was an ordained pastor, yet unlike others, she hadn’t been able to forgive the 21-year-old shooter. And she had lots of good reasons not to want to forgive him, some personal, and others, political.
Reverend Sharon Risher’s life and journey are extremely relevant to understanding so many issues that are relevant in America today.
The Charleston Church Massacre is one of the most infamous race-motivated hate crimes in America. But since 2015, the department of justice estimates that hate crimes have been on the rise for the third consecutive year -- and 51.8% of those crimes are motivated by bias against race.
Besides, mass-shootings in places of worship have become more common -- just recently in Pittsburgh, eleven people were killed and seven were injured during Shabbat service.
In our first interview with Sharon in North Carolina, we sat down and listened to her for almost three hours. She shared so much with us, including some personal moments that she’d never disclosed before. That day, Sharon, Director of Photography Jamie Francis and I knew that something special had happened. That interview alone compelled us to pursue a much bigger story.
Sharon’s story is so powerful in so many ways. We thought about bringing in other voices, other storylines, but the more time we spent with Sharon, the more we realized this documentary had to be her story, told in her own voice.
There’s a very public side of Sharon. But I feel honored that she allowed us to be at her side far from the spotlight when she was going through more private or challenging times.
To understand where she’s coming from, her origin story is essential: born to a 14-year old teenager in Charleston, she’s the oldest sister of five, from “mini-hippie” to joining the seminary in her 50s and only finding out she’s bi-racial at the very end of her life.
I have learned a lot from spending time with Rev. Risher. I have lived in America for a few years now, but I’m not American. As a journalist, I’ve always been interested in this country’s current events, but this project was eye-opening.
It took me to South Carolina for the first time, and the more I spoke with Sharon about her and her family’s history, the more I learned about racism, violence, and gun violence in America. And the more her commitment to change inspired me.
What I hope the audience recognizes is that this is a film about showing courage—the courage to speak up, to disagree, to be hurt, and the courage to change the world.