Sex Assault Doc to Screen

The high school edition of “The Hunting Ground,” a documentary about sexual assault on college campuses, will be screened at the East Hampton Library on Monday at 6:30 p.m. in a program for students 15 and older, their families, and educators.

After the screening a panel of professionals from the Retreat, the East Hampton Town Police Department, the Family Service League, and the Campus Sexual Assault Victims Unit of the New York State police will discuss the issue with the audience.

The film focuses on two former students at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill who filed Title IX complaints against the university after they were raped while enrolled there. Title IX is a federal law that, among other things, prohibits sexual discrimination in education institutions.

Kirby Dick directed the documentary, which was nominated for two Emmy Awards. It includes an original song by Lady Gaga, “Til It Happens to You,” recorded for the film.

The Retreat, the East Hampton domestic violence agency that is among the sponsors of the screening, is billing it as a chance “to begin a meaningful conversation” about sexual assault in teenage communities, the importance of consent, the relationship between sexual assault and drug and alcohol use, and preventive measures. Equally important, it is hoped that the film will inspire “bystander intervention should a student witness a potential sexual assault.”

According to the Retreat, one in five women are sexually assaulted in college, and 5 percent of men say they, too, have experienced sexual assault. Statistically, it is most common in the freshman and sophomore years.

Students who attend the screening and discussion will receive two hours of community service credit from the Retreat.