Stunning North Carolina Hate Crime Documentary Debuts

I’ve often thought the greatness of a country or culture can be measured unarguably by how its citizens treat one another. As amazing a nation as we are in the United States, often we fail in that respect. A brand-new documentary, “36 Seconds: Portrait of a Hate Crime” tells the story of a Chapel Hill triple murder. In February of 2015, Deah Barakat, his wife Yusor Abu-Salha, and her sister Razan Abu-Salha were killed. All three were in college at UNC and NCSU. All three were Muslims.
Initially, this was characterized as a dispute gone horribly wrong over residential parking. Parking. Filmmaker Tarek Albaba’s “36 Seconds: Portrait of a Hate Crime,” seeks to investigates the motive of the crimes and follows the victims’ family members and their fight to have the murders be recognized as hate crimes. Watching the trailer below, you look back to that time and ask, “Really?! How was this ever considered anything but a hate crime.”
In a press release, Albana states, “We are witnessing another dangerous spike in hate crimes across our country. Due to this heartbreaking turn of events, our documentary, ’36 Seconds: Portrait of a Hate Crime,’ has become more relevant than ever.” He added, “We strongly feel that this project makes both an emotional and intellectual appeal that can change hearts and minds.”
“36 Seconds: Portrait of a Hate Crime” will next be screened in Raleigh at the Witherspoon Student Center at 6 p.m. on Feb. 19. However, this is the kind of film that will definitely see the light of day soon both on-demand and on streaming services.
Sometimes that mirror can be very painful to look at. However, no progress can be made until it’s done. The greatness of a country or culture can be measured unarguably by how its citizens treat one another. “36 Seconds: Portrait of a Hate Crime” is necessary viewing if we’re to be better in this respect.
Experts Say These Are The 9 Best Movies Filmed In North Carolina
North Carolina may not be the first state that comes to your mind when you think of film production. And yes we aren’t New York or California but that doesn’t mean some fantastic movies weren’t filmed in North Carolina. While Hollywood gets the glamour and notoriety, plenty of iconic films have been shot all over the United States. And this certainly includes North Carolina. I’m not a movie buff, though I do enjoy watching them from time to time. Mainly when I have the attention span and time! And honestly, the first film that came to my mind when I saw this list, well actually I don’t think it was made in North Carolina at all. And it wasn’t filmed because it’s animated.
My mind instantly went to the Disney classic “Cars”. Even more surprising? I’ve never seen it. I just remember hearing about it when they did the premiere at Charlotte Motor Speedway. But don’t worry, I did think of one that actually shot in North Carolina (and made this list)- Dirty Dancing. I’m sure you know that the classic 80’s film was shot at Lake Lure, NC. But is it the best one to come out of the state? Our friends at BetCarolina have it ranked high, but not first. BetCarolina.com compiled a list of movies filmed in North Carolina and ranked them based on a point system.
This point system uses IMDb rating, Rotten Tomatoes Audience and Critics’ Scores, and Oscars recognition to rank the top 10 movies shot in North Carolina. Did your favorite make the list? Number one is definitely a beloved film North Carolina can be proud of! Keep reading to see the top films. You can read the full study by BetCarolina here.
Charlie Nance is the Afternoon Drive co-host (along with his wife) of "The Charlie and Debbie Show" at WSOC, Country 1037 in Charlotte, North Carolina. The couple have been with the radio station since 2006. Charlie has won the prestigious CMA (Country Music Association) Award for Radio Personality of the Year and has been a finalist for the Country Radio Hall of Fame four times. Prior to his time in Charlotte, Charlie (along with Debbie) spent more than a decade hosting successful morning radio shows in Greenville, SC; Augusta, Ga; and Birmingham, Al. As a content creator for Country 1037, Charlie writes about dream lottery windfalls, sports, restaurants and bars, and travel experiences in North and South Carolina.