EXCLUSIVE: It’s rare – unprecedented? – for The Onion, the satirical news site, to submit an amicus brief in a Supreme Court case, but it happened in Anthony Novak v. City of Parma, Ohio.
“Americans can be put in jail for poking fun at the government? This was a surprise to America’s Finest News Source and an uncomfortable learning experience for its editorial team,” The Onion wrote in its brief. “Indeed, ‘Ohio Police Officers Arrest, Prosecute Man Who Made Fun of Them on Facebook’ might sound like a headline ripped from the front pages of The Onion—albeit one that’s considerably less amusing because its subjects are real.”
The Onion wasn’t kidding when it wrote that comedian Anthony Novak was nabbed by Parma police, tossed into the county jail and charged “with a felony punishable by up to 18 months in prison,” all for the alleged crime of making fun of said police force. The case is explored in the new documentary Crime & Parody, which makes its world premiere Saturday at the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival in Missoula, MT.
‘Crime & Parody’
Will Thwaites/Kartemquin Films
Will Thwaites directed the film, which was produced in association with Kartemquin Films. We have your first look at the documentary in the trailer above.
“Nearly a decade before Jimmy Kimmel and Stephen Colbert came under attack for their political humor, an unknown comedian from Ohio finds himself in even more serious trouble for making fun of the government,” notes a synopsis. “Crime & Parody opens with the story of Anthony Novak, an amateur comedian who creates a parody Facebook page mocking his local police department. The page is satire, but the police take it very seriously.”
Novak spends years fighting the case. The synopsis continues, “With support from The Onion, his case is appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, just as debates around free speech and political expression are reaching a boiling point in America.
“Anthony’s case helps raise two questions that continue to grow more urgent: how do you hold the government accountable when they violate your rights, and what responsibility does law enforcement have to its citizens?
“But Crime & Parody pushes those questions even further by following a second story about a man named Omar Arrington-Bey who grew up 15 miles from Anthony. Omar’s story ultimately highlights just how much is at stake when constitutional protections break down.”
Director Will Thwaites hails from Parma.
“I’ve worked in the documentary industry for the past twelve years, primarily as a producer on projects like My Next Guest with David Letterman (Netflix) and It’s In The Game (Amazon),” Thwaites writes in a director’s statement. “My long-term goal has always been to find a documentary I could direct, one where I had an organic connection to the story. When I discovered this high-stakes narrative unfolding just two miles from my childhood home, I knew I had found that project, and I dove in headfirst.
“Over the past three years, I’ve traveled from the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court to the offices of The Onion, exploring ideas about democracy, free expression, and government accountability. This journey has resulted in my debut documentary feature, Crime & Parody.”
Thwaites directed, wrote and produced, and shot the film. He edited it along with Geoff O’Brien. Co-producers are Lumiere Rostick, Kyle Collins, and Cory Choy. The score is composed by Jordi Nus.
Watch the trailer for Crime & Parody above.