The Academy Award-nominated short documentary film, Incident, will be screened on May 21 at the DuSable Black History Museum. The film shows the 2018 killing of Harith “Snoop” Augustus by Chicago police officer Dillan Halley from the viewpoint of body camera and surveillance footage. Since its release two years ago, Incident has screened in theaters in 30 different countries, winning 18 awards. As part of the touring program of Academy Award nominated shorts, it screened in theaters in all 50 states. The New Yorker YouTube channel reports that the film has been watched over 75,000 times on its channel alone. 

After the screening, director Bill Morrison and local panelists will discuss the film. The press and the public are encouraged to attend and can register at this link.  

WHAT: Screening of Oscar-nominated film Incident.

WHO: Director Bill Morrison, Producer Jamie Kalvin, local panelists.

WHEN: Wednesday, May 21 at 7 p.m.

WHERE: DuSable Black History Museum, 740 E 56th Pl, Chicago, IL 60637 

“Jamie and I have attended dozens of screenings of the film and participated in Q&As and talkbacks for the past two years. Without question, the most energized and dynamic screenings were the two that were held in Chicago – first in November 2023 as part of the Chicago Humanities Festival at the Logan Center, and then again last December 2024 at the Siskel Center. In both cases, the conversations lasted several times longer than the film and involved family members and community members who were on the scene the day Harith Augustus was shot in 2018. I look forward to bringing this film back to Chicago, and to the South Side, where Jamie and I grew up, and getting a chance to share it and discuss it with the community that it represents,” said Bill Morrison, director of the film. 

“This documentary illustrates the importance of access to information around police shootings, particularly when it comes to body camera footage. Common Cause Illinois fights for transparent police practices and procedures, whether it be public access to serious disciplinary proceedings, better information sharing around civil asset forfeiture, or continued access to body camera footage, to better inform the public about how government officials conduct themselves. We are hosting this screening to continue to foster conversations about the continued urgent need for access to body camera footage, particularly in police shootings,” said Elizabeth Grossman, Executive Director of Common Cause Illinois. 

Common Cause Illinois is proud to support this screening, along with partners Invisible Institute (which also produced the film), the Grassroots Alliance for Police Accountability, and the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression. The film is distributed by The New Yorker Magazine.