THE PREMIERE of a new documentary chronicling the story of Limerick’s Natasha O'Brien took place in Dublin ahead of a prime time TV slot this Wednesday. It took place in the Stella Cinema in Rathmines last week with a packed theatre for the preview screening. Natasha airs on RTÉ One this Wednesday night, June 25 at 9.35pm. The documentary “sheds light on the urgency for justice reform in Ireland and explores the lived experiences of survivors, through the lens of one young woman’s journey”. READ MORE: Limerick activist leads tributes to humanity award recipient President Michael D Higgins Natasha, who was assaulted by a then serving soldier, made national and international headlines after she spoke out after the court case exactly a year ago last Friday. “This is not justice,” said Natasha, after the accused - Cathal Crotty - received a fully-suspended sentence. The documentary portrays how her public outcry “against the lenient ruling ignited national protests and forced a reckoning with how the Irish justice system treats survivors of gender-based violence”. The intimate documentary follows Natasha and is a “portrayal of how the aftermath of a violent attack and the subsequent strain of the flawed justice system affects a young woman’s life and how she attempts to transform her trauma into activism”. “Along the way, she meets other women - Bláthnaid Raleigh, Meav McLoughlin Doyle - who each share harrowing stories of how the system failed them too. Together, their voices form a chorus demanding change,” said an RTÉ spokesperson. Natasha also meets policymakers, experts in criminology, as well as activists and academics . The documentary follows the subsequent appeal of the sentence by the DPP, documents the final verdict and the behind the scenes emotional reactions of Natasha and her family. With raw testimony, verité-style filming, and a focus on advocacy, Natasha is both a very personal journey of a young woman and a call for structural justice reform, say
PICTURES: Limerick's Natasha stuns at premiere of her documentary in Dublin
