NYWIFT Industry Screening: ‘Enemies of the State’ Screening + Q&A

Join us for a screening + Q&A for Enemies of the State screening from July 19th through 22nd, followed by a conversation with Director Sonia Kennebeck.

Enemies of the State is a documentary thriller that investigates the strange case of Matt DeHart, an alleged hacker and whistleblower, and his former Cold War spy parents who believe they are at the center of a government conspiracy and are ready to do anything to save their son from prison. This stranger-than-fiction story takes audiences on a wild ride of unexpected plot twists and bizarre discoveries in an artistic and cinematic documentary that blurs the line between reality and paranoia. With extraordinary access to all lead characters and key sources, this film presents many contradicting viewpoints as it attempts to solve a mystery that has kept attorneys, activists and journalists occupied for over a decade.

Enemies of the State is a timely and compelling media and legal case study, showing how conspiracies can be created, evolve, and then be perpetuated with the help of the internet and aided by lack of transparency by the government. At the same time, this film examines the transformation of a local criminal case to an international media story, and the trust – or blindness – of completely devoted parents who will protect their son, literally at all costs. A powerful combination of investigative journalism and true crime story, Enemies of the State recreates dramatic events with the high production value and feel of a fiction film. The story is as twisted and complex as the Serial podcasts or Making a Murderer, with a beautiful and cinematic visual style comparable to The Imposter or The Thin Blue Line. Similar to these movies, Enemies of the State uses its unreliable narrators to play with the audience’s perception of reality, exposing the power of conviction and manipulation and the significance of seeking the truth.

Screening Dates: Film available from Monday, July 19th starting at 9:00AM through Thursday, July 22nd ending at 12:00AM

Q&A: Thursday, July 22nd at 4:00pm ET with Director Sonia Kennebeck. Moderated by NYWIFT Program Manager, Barbara Vásconez.

How to See the Film: A personalized link will be sent to each registrant.

Cost: $2 NYWIFT Members / $3 Non-Members + Q&A is Free

Register

Panelists

Sonia Kennebeck (Director) is an independent documentary filmmaker and investigative journalist with 17 years of directing and producing experience. She is currently in the process of releasing her new documentary thriller Enemies of the State and is also in advanced production of another feature documentary titled United States Vs. Reality Winner. Her first feature-length film National Bird premiered at the Berlin Film Festival 2016, was selected for Tribeca, Sheffield, and IDFA festivals, and received the prestigious Ridenhour Documentary Film Prize and a 2018 Emmy nomination for Outstanding Current Affairs Documentary. Foreign Policy magazine recognized Kennebeck as one of the 100 Leading Global Thinkers of 2016, and she was also selected as one of 25 New Faces of Independent Film 2016 by Filmmaker Magazine. In 2019, DOC NYC included Kennebeck in the annual 40 Under 40 list of documentary filmmakers. Before she became an independent filmmaker, Kennebeck directed eight television documentaries and more than 50 investigative reports for German public television. Kennebeck received a master’s degree in international affairs from American University in Washington, D.C. She was born in Malacca, Malaysia, and lives in New York City. 

Barbara Vásconez is the Program Manager at New York Women in Film & Television. Before joining NYWIFT, she held the position of General Manager at the Quad Cinema for three years. She has worked for a variety of film festivals, including the Tribeca Film Festival, Rooftop Films, Hamptons Film Festival, Montclair Film Festival, Mill Valley Film Festival, DOC NYC, and the Nantucket Film Festival. Her spare time is spent programming panels and creating unique community engagement opportunities for the New York Latino Film Festival. In 2019, she launched and founded the Ville Film Festival in Somerville, New Jersey. In 2020, she joined the Ecuadorian Film Festival as Co-Director. Her educational goals include working to develop film programs in New Jersey that improve film education for low income students. She works on amplifying the Latinx community and speaking on important issues like immigration and minimum wage. She is committed to the importance of film as a means of community engagement. Barbara has a degree in Film and Video Production from the School of Visual arts in NYC and holds a Business certificate from W.O.R.C in Philadelphia.