Short documentary, 14 min, 2020

directed by Brett Story
additional cinematography by Luiza Pârvu

Extreme Risk Protection Orders, otherwise known as “red flag” laws, give state authorities the ability to temporarily seize guns from someone deemed to be an immediate threat to themselves or others. On January 1, 2020, Colorado became the 17th state in the US to pass a ‘red flag’ law, provoking a number of county sheriffs opposed to the law to declare their counties “2nd Amendment sanctuaries.”

“Sanctuary” follows a handful of Coloradans on multiple sides of this controversial issue as the bill comes into law, including a state legislator and domestic abuse survivor, a member of a local militia, and a Colorado county sheriff. As these individuals address the threats, real and imagined, that the law responds to or poses, “Sanctuary” offers a timely meditation on the meaning of safety in America today.

directed by Brett Story
director of photography Matt Corliss
additional cinematography by Luiza Pârvu
edited by Hedia Maron
original score by Kieran Adams
sound design and mix by Heather Kirby
produced by Jason Fox
executive producers Julie Parker Benello, Jenni Wolfson, Lucila Moctezuma
series producer Kelly Duane de la Vega

“Sanctuary” was produced by Chicken & Egg Pictures through Docs by the Dozen, in partnership with Mother Jones.