rakontur blog

Controversial ‘Deal’ invites heated debate

Kathy A. MacDonald

November 19, 2001

“Raw Deal: A Question of Consent,” from Miami-based filmmakers Billy Corben and Alfred Spellman, made quite an impression with Sundance Film Festival audiences in January.

The feature-length documentary grapples with the issue of consensual sex and, to present the storyline accurately, sexually explicit images are central to the film’s story.

“Raw Deal” examines a 1999 Gainesville, Fla., case in which a stripper alleged she was raped at a college fraternity party. A suspect was taken into custody by college police and was subsequently released after authorities viewed a video of the incident. The woman was soon charged with filing a false police report and then the matter went on to the state attorney’s office.

Producer Spellman and director Corben’s aim was to present a balanced view of the hotly debated incident.

“We ask the audience to logically watch the film but people become so involved emotionally because the footage is so graphic and disturbing,” says Spellman.

“The story has taken on a life of its own. After watching the movie multiple times you can change your mind about what happened,” adds Corben.

At Sundance, the digitally made doc attracted the attention of the national press and Artisan Entertainment, which subsequently acquired the film but has yet to determine a release date. The film will most likely be released without an Motion Picture Assn. of America rating.

Corben and Spellman stopped attending college to make “Raw Deal.” The filmmakers plan on leveraging their newfound notoriety and have labored since Sundance to hone their own production slate. Key to their game plan are projects that were written with South Florida locales in mind.

“It’s an incredible place to shoot and work, a very versatile shooting environment and mostly unexplored,” notes Corben.

Spellman concurs, saying: “Florida is virgin territory for developing stories. People rely on productions from out of town for work.”

Spellman hopes the exposure from Sundance will give them an edge when it comes to future indie efforts and promote their own stomping grounds.

“Instead of running off to New York or Los Angeles, we want to turn our success into something positive for our home and to be able to do something in South Florida,” says Corben.

As models both point to the careers of filmmakers who are invariably linked with their hometowns: Richard Linklater with Austin, Texas; Barry Levinson and John Waters with Baltimore; and Martin Scorsese with New York.

“We don’t want to bask in the glory of our doc,” says Corben. “We’re capable of more and so is Miami. While our slate is very narrow in location, it’s diverse in terms of content.”