Indictment

Synopsis

Co-directed with Shane Belcourt.

A riveting true story about the crimes of Shelly Chartier, a reclusive young woman from a small Manitoba First Nation who captivated the press and made international headlines. Sensationalized in the media as a high profile catfishing case involving an NBA superstar and an aspiring model, Shelly was portrayed as a master manipulator who used social media as her weapon. Through the sensitive and intelligent lens of directors Lisa Jackson and Shane Belcourt, the sensationalism is swept aside to reveal a much more compelling – and complex – story of a young woman caught in historical circumstances beyond her control and how she struggles to rebuild her life after incarceration. With in-depth access to Shelly, Indictment unpacks the crime and raises important questions about our justice system.

One of CBC’s top watched documentaries
Teachers Guide, Hot Docs “Docs for Schools”

Impact Campaign

Recipient of Inspirit Foundation Impact Grant, to support a legal education resource featuring videos with top legal experts and related resources. 

Launching in early 2021 and geared to law schools especially, as well as high school students and other legal education programs. 

Indictment provides a complex example that can be used as a teaching tool, especially with further contextual clips that harness the expertise we accessed to comment in detail on Shelly’s case and the broader Gladue, legal aid and access to justice issues it intersects with.

Indigenous offenders are over-represented in our jails and discriminated against at every turn in the justice system. These failures in the Canadian legal system are being addressed by law schools and targeted clips will be of great value to educate the next generation of legal minds.