Free screening followed by panel and group discussions

Article by Scott Iwasaki for the Park Record (April 30, 2024)

Park City Film and the Friends of the Children’s Justice Center of Summit County invites the public to look at “Broken Trust.”

Jill Yesko’s documentary short film, which examines sexual and emotional abuse that Olympic and world-class athletes experience, will screen for free at 7 p.m., Thursday, May 2, at Park City Library‘s Jim Santy Auditorium, 1255 Park Ave.

The evening will also feature a post-screening panel discussion, moderated by Summit County Councilman Roger Armstrong, featuring Wendy Crossland, Summit Count Attorney’s office victim advocate, Prevent Child Abuse Utah Executive Director Laurieann Thorpe and the film’s Olympian, Parkite and the film’s associate producer Carrie Sheinberg.

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The discussion will in turn be followed by small, group conversations facilitated by Mountain Mediation, said Park City Film Executive Director Katharine Wang.

we hope that the screening will help people who have gone through abuse understand that they are not alone.” Tracy Walton, Friends of the Children’s Justice Center board secretary

“Not everyone is comfortable talking about this topic in the large-scale setting,” she said. “So, these groups help us take things down to more in-depth conversations and help people get involved in more actionable items like how people can get involved — how they can find support if they need it, and how they can become allies.”

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Wang first became familiar with “Broken Trust” through Sheinberg, whose mother, Jill Sheinberg, sits on Park City Film’s board of directors.

“Carrie brought the film to me when it first came out during COVID-19 in 2020,” Wang said. “While we were so taken by it, we felt it would be better to show the film in person. So, we had been looking for an opportunity to bring the film to our community because sports is such a big part of our conversation here in Park City.”

That chance came a few months ago after Wang was approached by the Friends of the Children’s Justice Center, a nonprofit that is committed to supporting the Children’s Justice Center Summit County House.

The Children’s Justice Center Summit County House, located at 5870 Silver Summit Prkwy., provides a neutral and comfortable environment, where investigators can speak with children and families of children who have been abused. (See accompanying story).

“When the Friends of the Children’s Justice Center approached me about screening a film in the spring, ‘Broken Trust’ immediately came to mind,” Wang said.

The Friends of the CJC journey to partnering with Park City Film was a long journey, said Tracy Walton, board secretary.

“The Friends of the Children’s Justice Center was founded in 2016, and (we) knew there were a lot of blanks out there in how we could make the community aware of what we did,” said Walton, who is also the organization’s former board president. “A former board member, Vanessa Brown Laurella, went out and did some training in the medical community in the Summit County, and other board member Vanessa Conabee suggested maybe we should look to creating book clubs because the subject is, a lot of times, hidden away and hard to talk about.”

The book club idea appealed to the Friends of the CJC because it seemed easier to talk about child abuse in small groups, according to Walton.

So, she and the board reached out to Kate Mapp, Park City Library’s adult services librarian.

Mapp told Walton that book clubs can be effective, but reading the book and holding discussions can take time to raise awareness.

“That’s when Vanessa Conabee and another board member Beth Armstrong (suggested) we talk with Katy at Park City Film,” Walton said. “We told Katy that we wanted to do, and she suggested ‘Broken Trust.’”

The film fits well with Park City Film’s Raising Voices Series, which showcases and brings to the forefront underrepresented communities and issues, Wang said.

“Abuse is a challenging topic, and while everyone agrees these conversations are important, to find something like ‘Broken Trust,’ which is a short film, kind of lends itself to be easier for some people to see,” she said. “The film also bridges the gap that talks specifically about sports and the interest of protecting our children and the athletes in our community. And by looking through that angle, it may appeal to a broader audience and (put into focus) the systemic and social forces that contribute to abuse, not just in sports but throughout communities.”

Still, Wang knows that athlete abuse doesn’t happen everywhere.

“There are great coaches, but there are certainly abuses that happen within the coaching systems that need to be addressed,” she said.

Walton believes screening “Broken Trust” comes at an important time, especially because the United States Justice Department and more than 100 victims of former USA Gymnastics physician Larry Nassar — including Olympians Simone Biles, Aly Raisman and McKayla Maroney — recently reached a civil settlement over allegations that FBI agents failed to properly investigate the gymnasts’ claims of abuse against the now-convicted doctor.

“These ladies stood up to talk about this, and they had the power for being famous, which is great,” she said. “But as a friends organization like us, it’s hard to get people to understand that the CJC House is such a good resource. So, we hope that the screening will help people who have gone through abuse understand that they are not alone.”

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Click here to read the article on the Park Record website