Fist Bump
Director: Madeleine Farley
Producer: Claire Best ,Madeleine Farley
Premiere Status: North American Premiere
Cinematographer: Madeleine Farley
Cast: Marcus Knight, Aurora Knight, Mark Hathaway, Lee Burdette Williams, Tom Lallas
Release Year: 2024
Language: English (United States)
Subtitle: English (United States)
Country: United States
(THIS FILM WAS PART OF OUR 2025 FESTIVAL LINEUP AND IS NO LONGER AVAILABLE ON THE SLAMDANCE CHANNEL) Marcus Knight was born at 26 weeks old with cerebral palsy and autism. Despite the set backs he became lead in high school musicals and homecoming king. His dreams of working on Broadway were curtailed when he was accused of sexual misconduct for a fist bump and taking selfies at Saddleback College in Orange County, California. A judge ruled that he had been denied the tools with which to fight for his innocence but the school appealed and won with a different judge. This is the story of how social justice initiatives can harm the very people they are supposed to help.