*“Seven Seconds” is Netflix’s new anthological crime drama thriller that is tackling police brutality, racism and the social justice imbalances within the government locally and nationally.
The series was created by “The Killings” Veena Sud and written by Shalisha Francis, Dan Nowak, David Shanks, and Evangeline Ordnaz. The episodes are one-hour long and take place in a northeastern city of New Jersey, and follows the investigation of the Brenton Butler a teenage black boy who was accidentally hit by a white cop. When the white cop’s superiors try to cover the incident up, assistant prosecutor KJ Harper steps in to crack the case.
This past Tuesday (Feb. 13), Netflix and social activist group Color of Change held a private screening and Q&A panel discussion at the The Grove’s Pacific Theaters. The panel was moderated by Color of Change’s Brian Walker and the panelists were “Seven Seconds” creator and executive producer Veena Sud, lead actress Clare-Hope Ashitey (KJ Harper), and the series writers Shalisha Francis, Dan Nowak, David Shanks, and Evangeline Ordnaz.
ALSO RECOMMENDED: WENDY WILLIAMS PROVIDES AN UPDATE ON HER CONDITION TO WORRIED FANS (WATCH)
After the screening, the panel discussed why they created the series, what research was like and why they didn’t make it a feature film. One of the reasons they chose Netflix’s platform was because of the “more than 100 million subscribers” the online streaming service possesses, said Sud. Sud also mentioned that she wanted the project to be accessible for anyone, as not everyone goes to the movies. Sud also says this movie was meant for Brown and Black people who “aren’t seen.”
“There are people here who spend their lives waking up every day to invest in this country. A country that doesn’t always see them as people or contributors to this society. It’s hard to invest in a society that you feel doesn’t see you,” said Sud.
This led her to the symbolism behind ‘Seven Seconds’ poster which depicts Lady Liberty turned away from where the incident occurred.
“When you go to Liberty State Park it’s beautiful. A lot of people go there because it’s peaceful you can see the water, it’s serene. But Lady Liberty is more so looking towards the “newcomers” who are entering the country as opposed to the people who are already there. So as much as she represents our country she also represents how the country sometimes turns it’s back on it’s own people,” Sud said.
Later in the evening, the panel discussed the research that went into the project. EURweb’s Rocky Harris asked if there were any specific black police brutality stories they used as a guideline for the series.
Sud responded, “Yes, we really focused on Tamir Rice’s story because of the location and how he was fatally shot in the snow. We also used stories from two mothers who lost their sons to police brutality.
“We really wanted to know what it felt like, so we spent a lot of time with the mothers. It was one of the hardest moments of the process. We needed them to relieve that experience and that was heartbreaking,” said writer David Shanks.
‘Seven Seconds’ will debut on Netflix on Friday, Feb. 23, 2018.
We Publish News 24/7. Don’t Miss A Story. Click HERE to SUBSCRIBE to Our Newsletter Now!
