Procession documents a collaborative filmmaking project where six survivors of sexual abuse at the hands of Catholic clergy confront their trauma by creating films about their experiences. Working alongside a licensed drama therapist, the men write their own stories and appear in each other’s projects to realize events from their youths through the prism of adulthood. Director Robert Greene and a crew produce their films from original storyboards and scripts, building sets and casting actors, and the documentary captures and propels their collective artistic process. Over the course of these productions, the participants revisit places, objects, and memories from their past, finding purpose and agency in performing and reclaiming their truth. Greene also documents poignant conversations between the men about the ways they live with the abuse they suffered and the connections they make with one another—some had never met before embarking on the film. Patiently and powerfully, Procession observes the ways the survivors’ artful renderings give way to catharsis while presenting a searing indictment of the systems that failed to protect them. ST

Q&A following screening