This is The Case Against Cosby

Everyone is trying to ring in the New Year with a whole new set of goals and resolutions. This time of the year you hear a lot of people talking about how are they going to improve themselves and be better than last year. But some people don’t talk about their vision for the year 2023. There are those who care not to share. But there are those who are suffering in silence. Some are recovering from a traumatic past and still need plenty of time to heal. Before even thinking of setting new goals and standards for themselves, patience is the key to healing all wounds from trauma.

Andrea Constand

Andrea Constand is one of the many victims of Bill Cosby. She has been courageous throughout this whole process to actually come forward. That being to share this traumatic experience that she had with one of the biggest stars of the time who was Bill Cosby.

The Case Against Cosby will air on CBC and CBC Gem on January 8th. Audiences will finally get to know up close and personally how shocking it really is when sexual assault happens to a woman. Furthermore, how much time it takes to actually forgive oneself for what actually has happened?

They say time heals all wounds but they never say how much time that actually takes. For someone like Andrea Constand, it has taken more than a decade to recover. Now is the time to share her journey so that nobody is in the dark when something of this magnitude happens to them. FERNTV spoke both with director Karen Wookey and Andrea Constand who is the only Cosby survivor to gain a conviction.

The Time is Now

FERNTV: What is it about Karen that made you decide that your story about Bill Cosby would be documented for this series?  Why do you feel that now the timing is right?

Andrea: Karen has been a lifelong friend and I believe that we both had a vision that was in line with telling not only the legal angle of my story but also the healing journey, what it is like to recover from sexual assault trauma and to document the process through documentary filmmaking. The timing couldn’t be more perfect now because we have a movement (#metoo) in which millions of survivors have disclosed their abusers and now is the time to heal and recover and seek justice if that’s available.

FERNTV: Tell us why you felt that it was essential to include your family’s interpretation of your story.

Andrea: My family is my story, it doesn’t happen without them. My mother was THE person I
disclosed my assault to. She heard me and provided that safe mother-bear space for me.
Other survivors out there may not have a mother or father, sister, brother, or friend to
disclose to. Many survivors are scared to death. They stay in silence. It was also important
to demonstrate the support that I was so fortunate to have. They were traumatized in
their own way and it’s important to know that trauma impacts the family as well.

The Weight of the Subject Matter

FERNTV: Karen, did you receive any advice from fellow colleagues on how to document this type of subject matter where it can be heavy on everyone?

Karen: I was very aware of the weight of the subject matter. I am a survivor myself and trauma-informed. I worked closely with Andrea at all stages of the making of the film and was aware of remaining sensitive to the material and letting the survivor’s story lead.

FERNTV: What was the biggest challenge in directing this series?

Karen: It was shot during covid which presented a few challenges, the biggest challenge was telling such an enormous story in a short period of time. There was enough material for four episodes.

FERNTV: Andrea, what was your initial reaction when watching this documentary/series after it was produced?

Andrea: When I watched it at the industry screening it brought tears to my eyes. Even though I
am a subject, I watched it from an objective lens, and I was very emotional and proud of
Karen and the entire film crew for capturing the authenticity and reality of what actually
happened before and after this life-changing situation.

Gabor Maté

FERNTV: What’s it like to work with Gabor Maté and his insight on this subject?

Karen: I can’t say enough about Gabor, it was only ever him I envisioned the retreat with. I know Gabor and have experienced a few workshops with him so I was confident the women were in a safe, compassionate container. We also worked with a somatic trauma therapist who was at the retreat with Gabor named Shama Zeynep who was pivotal for the success of the retreat.

Andrea: Gabor gave me permission to find my authentic self and helped me understand that
being “strong” served me for much of my athletic pursuits but that being vulnerable and
being open with my feelings would serve me even better in the future, and it HAS! He
imparted so much knowledge over the course of three days and it will be a time that I
always will remember to be -in many ways the beginning of truly understanding the
the healing process and how trauma has impacted my life, both then and now.

Where do we go from here?

FERNTV: What do you hope you can accomplish with this series?

Karen: Our vision for the film is to open minds and bring much-needed understanding of the effects of sexual trauma on not only a victim but everyone who loves them. How one devastates many lives for years to come. It is also important to understand the predator’s mind, and how our culture supports their behaviour. How our own thinking keeps victims silent and harmed, and perpetrators protected. And lastly bring hope to those suffering, by sharing the incredibly important message that they are not alone. 

Andrea: I think we hope to accomplish showing what it is like to process trauma and the
unfolding of it. Although the story is much about my life and legal process, the most
important elements of it (from a healing path standpoint) focus on a community of
women who all share a trauma bond and make the very daunting and scary decision to
heal from that trauma and be filmed while undertaking it. It is a very fragile and tender
process. Although very painful to go through, it is the only way to truly heal the mind,
body and spirit.

https://www.cbc.ca/documentarychannel/docs/the-case-against-cosby