Building on years of countless hazing-related tragedies and grappling with his own experiences, acclaimed filmmaker Byron Hurt explores the function, politics, and consequences of pledging rituals at universities and colleges across the U.S. Through a series of intimate interviews with victims' families, survivors, and his fellow fraternity brothers, Hurt and his subjects reflect on the realities of hazing, and question the purpose of these ongoing rite-of-passage rituals in sororities, fraternities, and other groups.
Tune in Mon, Sept. 12 at 9pm on the WSIU stations: WSIU 8.1, WUSI 16.1, WSEC 14.1, WQEC 27.1 and WMEC 22.2 or access the WSIU local broadcast livestream online at pbs.org or via the PBS Video app. Watch with WSIU Passport.
About the Program
Through a look at the history of hazing and deeply personal narratives of those affected by the rituals, the film tackles topics of violence, sexual degradation, binge drinking, institutional coverups, and debased notions of manhood.
Interviews with violence-prevention experts and campus professional staff provide broader cultural context for these practices and their association with Greek-letter organizations. Hurt also discusses victim-blaming narratives, offering insight into the psychology of belonging, insecurity, and cycles of abuse which largely contribute to hazing culture. “Hazing” takes a look inward as well, as Hurt and many of the film’s
Byron Hurt (Director)
Byron Hurt is an award-winning documentary filmmaker, writer, and anti-sexist activist. His documentary, “Hip-Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes,” premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and broadcast nationally on PBS’ Emmy-award winning series Independent Lens.
