Earlier this month, I found myself sitting inside a cinema in Washington DC in tears. The vast majority of the audience was crying too.
We were watching the acclaimed documentary 36 Seconds: Portrait of a Hate Crime, in which filmmaker Tarek Albaba makes an impassioned case for justice for the three young Muslim-American students executed in their home in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, in 2015.
Deah Barakat, aged 23. His wife Yusor Mohammad Abu-Salha, 21. And her sister Razan Mohammad Abu-Salha, 19.
The film charts the impact of the horrific murders on the victims’ families, exposes the racism and Islamophobia embedded in our criminal justice system, and conclusively demonstrates how the cold-blooded killings were the result not of a ‘parking dispute’ but a brazen hate crime. As the credits rolled, I was left heartbroken and infuriated in equal parts.
Zeteo had the honor of hosting the screening of 36 Seconds at Landmark’s E Street Cinema in DC, which was then followed by a fascinating panel discussion and audience Q&A. Zeteo is also exclusively hosting the full film on our site - but only until December 31.
36 Seconds: Portrait of a Hate Crime is available to watch for free, for our paid subscribers, here on Zeteo during that time. Free subscribers are able to watch a 10-minute preview, so do please try and become a paid subscriber today so you can watch the whole thing.
Trust me, you won’t regret it. I don’t normally do movie plugs. But this one is definitely worth your time.
