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Shame On You!

This film exposes the untold personal costs of victims of the debt collection industry that is enabled by fear of the judicial system and hidden shame about debt.

In this animated documentary, we recreate our telephone interviews and the stories of actual people trapped in debt collection lawsuits. We want audiences to openly discuss how shame is used in relation to debt, and to assertively talk about their own debt collection cases. The low value/high volume debt collection business is massive - 1 in 4 people have been pursued by a debt collector. But the stories are untold and cases are unopposed because of shame. Consequently, in some states 90% of debtors are unrepresented in courts and many of those end in default judgements against debtors. Here, our interviewees start a conversation about an industry that uses shame and the courts against people who have everything to lose. This is the shame that should be carried by those who put them in these debts in the first place.

  • Jeffrey Himpele
    Director
    Incidents of Travel in Chichen Itza, Men of Steel (in progress)
  • Jeffrey Himpele
    Producer
    Incidents of Travel in Chichen Itza, Men of Steel (in progress)
  • Ann Neumann
    Writer
  • Frederick F. Wherry
    Executive Producer
  • Michael Arthur
    Animation Director and Composition
  • Jeffrey Himpele
    Editor and Sound Design
    The Torture Letters
  • Vivia Font
    Casting Director
  • Vivia Font
    Key Cast
    "Sarah"
  • Dana Green
    Key Cast
    "Melissa"
  • Melody Butiu
    Key Cast
    "Lani Kai"
  • Ann Neumann
    Key Cast
    "Herself"
  • Project Type:
    Animation, Documentary, Short
  • Runtime:
    10 minutes 50 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    August 24, 2023
  • Production Budget:
    31,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Distribution Information
  • Jeffrey Himpele
    Country: United States
Director Biography - Jeffrey Himpele

Cultural anthropologist and documentary filmmaker from Princeton.

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