CWP Film Center

Presents

Her fight, His name

Her fight, his name

Monday, March 9 @7:00PM

The Sanctuary at St. Paul & St. Andrew

& Talkback with Gwen Carr, Brad Bailey film director, Rev. Kirsten John Foy of Arc of Justice, Monifa Bandele from Malcolm X Grassroots Movement and others.

Her Fight, His Name is a 30-minute documentary about Gwen Carr, the mother of Eric Garner, who was killed by the NYPD on Staten Island in 2014, one of the most significant police violence and civil rights incidents of recent memory and a critical New York City story. The film, directed by Student Academy Award winner and BAFTA nominee Brad Bailey, originated while Brad and the core team were students at Columbia University and went on to win all three New York Emmys for which it was nominated in October 2025. The film also received the Duke University Human Rights Storytelling Award and is now archived in Duke University’s library system, along with screening at and winning awards from major festivals and venues around the world, from Cannes to the American Academy in Rome to Melbourne. This will be the film’s first major, publicized community screening in New York City. Ms. Gwen Carr will attend and participate in a talkback with director Brad Bailey and others, and the film team will collaborate with CWP on publicity, potential public figure participation, and anything else that helps maximize the success and impact of the event.

Gwen Carr, the mother of Eric Garner, killed by the NYPD on Staten Island in 2014, channels her grief into a years long fight for justice, drawing international media attention. When the news cameras go away, she surrounds herself with photos of lost loved ones in her home to restore her strength through memories. Her fight challenges the NYPD and former New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, demanding accountability for the officers involved in her son’s death. Along the way, she forms deep bonds with other "Mothers of the Movement," women who have also lost family to police violence—the “club no one wants to be a part of.” In passing the Eric Garner Anti-Chokehold Act in New York while helping other mothers navigate their own journeys, Gwen’s story is one of unwavering resolve. Despite the justice system's repeated failures, she remains determined to protect other mothers' sons and to cherish her remaining family. Filmed over six years, this documentary marks the 10-year anniversary of Eric’s death.

“I felt Brad Bailey made a powerful portrait of Gwen Carr and the movement she and Eric Garner spawned. Brad offered an insight into what has become an all too frequent American tragedy, and did so through an exceptionally strong woman who I felt so close to by the end of the film, so I thank him for making this important piece of work.”
– David Petersen, Writer/Director of Lift