Best Documentary
US Police Under Fire: Inside a Growing Crisis
Every year, American police officers kill around 1000 people. 20 times more per head of population than in France and 60 times more than the UK. Today more than ever, the American police force is feared by those it is supposed to protect.
Films of police shootings, whether from people’s phones or bodycams, have caused outrage.
Since the death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, anti-police sentiment across America has grown. The police position has hardened, as they employ more and more drastic techniques – riot gear, assault rifles, armored vehicles.
This over-militarization is no accident. For years, US police stations have been accumulating military equipment from the « 1033 program », created by the Pentagon to transfer excess military equipment to civil law enforcement agencies.
From California to Florida, passing through Missouri, we have studied this police force which is, more than ever, under fire.
Director: Sébastien Gilles
Published Jun 6, 2025