Tea time with Important Police Shit

Interview with Andrew Betzer, director of Important Police Shit

Can you explain the title?
The title is supposed to sound like police slang. A term that only police use, in this case to describe the rights and trials that they go through in their training. The title is made up, but I feel that it sounds very authentic. I’m surprised the term does not already exist. Also, I wanted the film’s title to give off a sense of urgency. I think it succeeds in doing that, its a title that feels very alive.

How much of the film is accurate? How close is it to a documentary?
The film is a fictional narrative inspired by real events. Many of the actors had military and police training. They offered many suggestions along the way that added to the accuracy and realism of the film. The film would not have been what it is without the collaboration of the cast. The fact that many people perceive it to be documentary is quite a compliment. It is a documentary in the sense that during the shoot, we actually created a working police academy. There was such a tangible sense of camaraderie, suffering, and competition between all of the cadets… most of the trials were real to them, not much pretending was necessary. The film is accurate in that abuse of power within institutions occurs on a regular basis.

What sort of research did you do?
Indeed, this story could have been set in almost any institution. The police academy is merely an archetype. It is a story about power gone unchecked in a closed society. As far as research goes, I read quite a few articles and watched a lot of YouTube videos. I read about several lawsuits that involved women who were either sexually harassed or felt singled out or abused during their training. Police training videos are all over the internet, I watched so, so many of them. Some are very mannered and official while others were very candid and transgressive. Watching them gave me a good sense of what a “hell day” would look like. From there, I imbued the training scenes with my own strange details and had a lot of input from the actors during the shoot.

(Spoiler alert) Why does the woman suffer different treatment at the end?
In making this film, my intention was to present a scenario that highlights the insidious methods that perpetrators often employ to isolate the victim and make them doubt themselves. I also wanted to follow Forchet through her inner turmoil in coming to terms with the fact that her journey as a police officer will be a much steeper climb than that of her male counterparts.

What do you hope to explore in the near future as a filmmaker?
I’m planning on making a feature film next. It’s a road movie about a father and son that live as grifters. Eventually, the father disappears and the son must try to adjust to a life much less exciting.

Would you say that the short film format has given you any particular freedom?
Yes! It allows me to continue to make films no matter what resources and time I have to work with… in many instances I have very little of both. There is something very liberating about being able to make a statement or complete a thought as an artist without having to spend years of your life and bundles of money to do it.

Important Police Shit is part of International Competition I2.