The Hunting Ground

According to Ziering, reactions from women on college campuses to Dick and Ziering's 2012 documentary The Invisible War, which focuses on the issue of sexual assault in the US military, inspired them to make a film about the subject of sexual assault at American colleges.

The Hunting Ground presents multiple students who were sexually assaulted at their college campuses, and say that college administrators either ignored them or required that they navigate a complex academic bureaucracy to have their claims addressed. The film shows that many college officials were more concerned by minimizing rape statistics for their universities than by the welfare of the students and contains interviews with college administrators who state that they were pressured into suppressing rape cases.{{cite news|title=Jameis Winston's accuser speaks out in campus rape documentary 'Hunting Ground'|first=Rob|last=Lowman|url=http://www.dailynews.com/arts-and-entertainment/20150225/jameis-winstons-accuser-speaks-out-in-campus-rape-documentary-hunting-ground|work=Los Angeles Daily News|date=25 February 2015|access-date=16 December 2015}} The film chiefly criticized actions (or lack thereof) by university administrations, including Harvard, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Amherst College and Notre Dame but it also examines fraternities such as Sigma Alpha Epsilon, colloquially referred by some as “Sexual Assault Expected”.{{Cite web|url=https://duclarion.com/2019/01/sae-sexual-assault-expected/|title=SAE: Sexual Assault Expected – DU Clarion|language=en-US|access-date=2019-11-21}}

The narrative features Andrea Pino and Annie Clark, students at the University of North Carolina, who became campus anti-rape activists after being assaulted. In response to what they saw as an inadequate response from the university, they filed a Title IX complaint against The University of North Carolina on January 16, 2013 (along with three other students),{{cite news |author= Andrea Pino |title=Why Filing an Office for Civil Rights Complaint Against UNC Is Bigger Than Me |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/andrea-pino/unc-sexual-assault-_b_2497326.html|publisher=Huffington Post |date=2013-01-19 |access-date=2013-06-21}} and co-founded the group End Rape on Campus.{{cite news|title=Campus Sexual Assault: Annie E. Clark and Andrea Pino Are Fighting Back—And Shaping the National Debate|first=Rebecca|last=Johnson|date=October 9, 2014|work=Vogue|url=http://www.vogue.com/2210627/college-sexual-assault-harassment-annie-e-clark-andrea-pino/}}

As well as talking to women who share how they were victims of both rapists and unsympathetic university officials, the filmmakers interviewed students, parents and administrators. The Hunting Ground also includes a conversation with a former Notre Dame police officer who criticized how rape cases were handled at that institution. The officer spoke of a case where he was not allowed to question a student accused of rape, a Notre Dame football player, at any time that student was on athletic department property. The Hunting Ground also includes testimony from male victims of sexual assault. Producer Amy Ziering stated the filmmakers, "felt it was important to show men and women. For men it's often harder to speak up because there is a social stigma associated with rape. Many male victims were feeling ashamed."

A section of the film is focused on Jameis Winston, the former star quarterback for the Florida State Seminoles football team and newly drafted quarterback of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the accusation of sexual assault against him while at Florida State. His accuser, Erica Kinsman, publicly discusses the incident for the first time after Jameis Winston refused to speak about the incident.{{Cite web | url=http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/eye-on-football/25383810/jameis-winston-threatens-lawsuit-against-cnn-over-documentary | title=Jameis Winston threatens lawsuit against CNN over documentary| first=John|last=Breech|work=CBSSports.com | date=November 21, 2015 | access-date=November 21, 2015}}

The filmmakers feature experts who say that most rapes are committed by a small number of repeat offenders. Director Kirby Dick stated that less than eight percent of the population is responsible for more than 90 percent of all sexual assaults.{{cite news|title=Scheer Intelligence: Discussing 'The Hunting Ground' With Director Kirby Dick and Producer Amy Ziering|first=Robert|last=Scheer|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-scheer/scheer-intelligence-rober_b_8879950.html|work=Huffington Post|access-date=8 January 2016| date=26 December 2015}} Producer Amy Ziering said that "our failure as a society to apprehend perpetrators leaves criminals at large who are savvy and experienced and able to continue to commit these crimes with impunity."{{cite news|title=Producer Amy Ziering on Investigating College Rape in 'The Hunting Ground'|first=Elsa|last=Keslassy|url=https://variety.com/2016/film/news/hunting-ground-college-rape-movie-amy-ziering-1201675060/|work=Variety|access-date=8 January 2016| date=8 January 2016}}

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) makes a brief appearance in the film.

The film features two tracks by Lady Gaga: "Swine"{{cite web|title=The Hunting Ground (2015) Soundtracks|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4185572/soundtrack?ref_=tt_trv_snd|website=IMDb|access-date=May 3, 2015}} and an original song written by Diane Warren and Gaga{{cite magazine|last=Gallo|first=Phil|title=Diane Warren on Her Lady Gaga Collaboration for New Documentary 'The Hunting Ground'|magazine=Billboard|date=January 27, 2015|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/6451064/diane-warren-lady-gaga-song-till-it-happens-to-you-hunting-ground|access-date=May 4, 2015}} titled "Til It Happens to You". The song won the award for Best Song in a Documentary at the 2015 Hollywood Music in Media Awards{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/6760930/hollywood-music-in-media-awards|title=Hollywood Music in Media Awards: 'Hunting Ground,' 'Furious 7,' '50 Shades of Grey' Claim Top Prizes|last=Feinberg|first=Scott|date=November 12, 2015|access-date=November 19, 2015|magazine=Billboard}} and was nominated for a 2016 Grammy Award in the Best Song Written for Visual Media category.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/grammys/6785974/grammy-nominations-2016-full-list|title=Grammy Nominations 2016: See the Full List of Nominees|author=|date=December 7, 2015|access-date=December 10, 2015|magazine=Billboard}} "Til It Happens to You" was subsequently nominated for the 2016 Academy Award for Best Original Song, losing to the song "Writing's on the Wall" from the film Spectre.{{cite web|url=http://oscar.go.com/news/nominations/best-original-song-nominations-2016-oscars |title=The Oscars: Best Original Song nominees, 2016 |publisher=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences |date=2016-01-14}}

Another song played in the documentary is "Stay Gold" by First Aid Kit.

The Hunting Ground has received acclaim from film critics.{{cite news |title=Campus Rape Doc The Hunting Ground Screens Tonight|url=http://www.phillymag.com/news/2015/04/03/campus-rape-doc-the-hunting-ground-screens-tonight/ |website=Philadelphia |accessdate=1 May 2015}} Rotten Tomatoes indicated that 93% of critics gave the film positive reviews based on 73 reviews, with an average score of 7.80 out of 10. Its consensus reads: "The Hunting Ground isn't director Kirby Dick's strongest work as a filmmaker, but the movie's powerful message more than trumps any technical weaknesses."{{cite web | url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_hunting_ground_2015/ |title=The Hunting Ground (2015) |publisher=Rotten Tomatoes | access-date=March 2, 2021}} At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the film has received an average score of 77, considered to be "generally favorable," based on 29 reviews.{{cite web | url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-hunting-ground |title= The Hunting Ground reviews | publisher=Metacritic | access-date=May 1, 2015 }} It would was billed by the Sundance Film Festival as a "piercing, monumental exposé of rape culture on campuses". The film received a standing ovation at its premiere.{{cite news |last1=Stern |first1=Marlow |title=Jameis Winston's Rape Accuser Tells All In Sundance Documentary 'The Hunting Ground' |url=http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/01/24/jameis-winston-s-rape-accuser-tells-all-in-sundance-documentary-the-hunting-ground.html|access-date=May 1, 2015|work=The Daily Beast |date=January 24, 2015}}

Eric Kohn, on Indiewire, gave the film a B+ grade, describing it as a "stirring call to action".{{cite web|last1=Kohn|first1=Eric|title=Sundance Review: Kirby Dick's 'The Hunting Ground' is an Alarming Look at Campus Rape|url=https://www.indiewire.com/article/sundance-review-kirby-dicks-the-hunting-ground-is-an-alarming-look-at-campus-rape-20150124 |publisher=Indiewire |access-date=May 1, 2015|date=January 24, 2015}} Entertainment Weekly praised the film for its strong emotional impact.{{cite magazine |title=The Hunting Ground: EW review |first=Leah |last=Greenblatt |date=February 25, 2015|access-date=November 20, 2015|magazine=Entertainment Weekly |url=https://www.ew.com/article/2015/02/25/hunting-ground-ew-review }} David Edelstein, writing for New York, advised parents to watch it before sending their children to college.{{cite news |title=College-Rape Documentary The Hunting Ground Plays Like a Horror Movie |first=David |last=Edelstein |date=February 23, 2015|access-date=November 20, 2015|work=New York Magazine |url=https://www.vulture.com/2015/02/movie-review-the-hunting-ground.html}}

A columnist for the Philanthropy Journal predicted that, more than any other Sundance film in 2015, the film had the potential to affect activism and social policy.{{cite web |title=Film on Campus Rape Could Take Philanthropy Activism to a New Level |first=Vincent |last=Stehle |date=February 4, 2015|access-date=November 20, 2015|url=https://philanthropy.com/article/Opinion-Film-on-Campus-Rape/151795}} While most reviews were positive, Variety film critic, Ella Taylor accused The Hunting Ground of "shoddy journalism" and called it a "loaded piece of agitprop that plays fast and loose with statistics and our sympathy with victims of campus sexual assault".{{cite news|author=Variety Staff|title=Variety Critics Pick Their Least Favorite Films of 2015|url=https://variety.com/2015/film/columns/variety-critics-least-favorite-films-of-2015-1201669690/|access-date=February 28, 2016 |work=Variety |date=December 31, 2015}}

The Hunting Ground was nominated for the "Outstanding Producer of Documentary Theatrical Motion Picture" award by the Producers Guild of America,{{cite news|title='The Hunting Ground' Among PGA Documentary Film Nominees |first=Gregg |last=Kilday |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/hunting-ground-pga-documentary-film-843178 |work=The Hollywood Reporter |date=November 23, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151127070952/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/hunting-ground-pga-documentary-film-843178 |archive-date=November 27, 2015 |access-date=11 December 2016 |url-status=dead }} but lost to Amy.{{cite news|title='The Big Short,' 'Inside Out,' 'Amy' win film prizes at Producers Guild Awards |first=Mark|last=Olsen |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/moviesnow/la-et-mn-the-big-short-inside-out-amy-win-film-prizes-at-producers-guild-awards-20160123-story.html|work=Los Angeles Times|date=23 January 2016|access-date=24 January 2016}} On December 1, 2015, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced that The Hunting Ground was one of the fifteen documentary films shortlisted for an Oscar nomination in the Best Documentary Feature category,{{cite web|title=15 Documentary Features Advance in 2015 Oscar Race|first=Natalie|last=Kojen|url=http://www.oscars.org/news/15-documentary-features-advance-2015-oscarr-race|publisher=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences|access-date=December 5, 2015|date=December 1, 2015}} but it failed to make the final list of five nominees announced on January 14, 2016.{{cite news|title=Oscar Nominations: The Complete List|author= |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lists/oscar-nominations-complete-list-855398/item/best-picture-oscar-nominations-2016-855400|work=The Hollywood Reporter|date=14 January 2016|access-date=14 January 2016}}

In December 2015, the film won the 2016 Stanley Kramer Award given to "a production, producer or other individual whose achievement or contribution illuminates and raises public awareness of important social issues."{{cite web|last1=Pedersen|first1=Erik|title='The Hunting Ground' Bags PGA's Stanley Kramer Award|url=https://deadline.com/2015/12/the-hunting-ground-producers-guild-stanley-kramer-award-1201668052/|website=Deadline Hollywood|date=16 December 2015|access-date=16 December 2015}} The Hunting Ground was also one of the five movies nominated in the Documentary category of 2016 MTV Movie Awards.{{cite news | title=MTV Movie Awards 2016: A Complete List of Nominees and Winners | url=http://www.elle.com/culture/celebrities/a35517/mtv-awards-2016-winners/ | work=Elle| first=Danielle | last=Odiamar | date=April 10, 2016 | access-date= 14 December 2016}}

On February 26, 2015, one day before the theatrical release of the film, a bipartisan group of twelve U.S. Senators, accompanied by the film's lead subjects, Annie Clark and Andrea Pino, reintroduced the Campus Accountability and Safety Act. The act, originally introduced in July 2014,{{cite web |first=Hanna |last=Sanchez |title=Bipartisan Bill to Regulate How Colleges, Universities Handle Sexual Assault Cases |date=March 7, 2015|access-date=November 20, 2015|work=iSchoolGuide |url=http://www.ischoolguide.com/articles/9014/20150307/bipartisan-bill-regulate-colleges-universities-handle-sexual-assault-cases.htm }} would require universities to adopt standard practices for weighing sexual assault charges, and to survey students on the prevalence of assault. New York governor Andrew Cuomo presented the film at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts on June 2, 2015, to promote, and help pass, new legislation to address sexual assault at New York institutions of higher learning. At the screening, Cuomo called the movie "an extraordinary documentary that really publicized this issue…and show how institutions were slow to respond."{{cite web |title=Video, Photos & Transcript: Governor Cuomo Signs "Enough Is Enough" Legislation |date=July 7, 2015 |access-date=November 20, 2015 |publisher=New York Office of the Governor |url=http://www.governor.ny.gov/news/video-photos-transcript-governor-cuomo-signs-enough-enough-legislation |archive-date=November 20, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151120214736/http://www.governor.ny.gov/news/video-photos-transcript-governor-cuomo-signs-enough-enough-legislation |url-status=dead }}{{cite web |title=All NY Colleges to Adopt 'Yes Means Yes' Sex Assault Policy |first=Laila|last=Kearney|work=Reuters |date=July 8, 2015|access-date=November 20, 2015|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-new-york-sexcrimes-college-idUSKCN0PH23Y20150708#qayrJ0pYJXOOKmai.97}} California Senator Barbara Boxer responded to the film by saying "The power on that status quo side, you're going to see it in response to this film. Believe me, there will be fallout."

Emily Yoffe of Slate challenged the accuracy of the documentary, based upon her evaluation of the testimony against Brandon Winston by witness Kamilah Willingham, who said that Winston had sexually assaulted a classmate.{{cite web | url=http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/doublex/2015/06/the_hunting_ground_a_closer_look_at_the_influential_documentary_reveals.single.html | title=How The Hunting Ground Blurs the Truth: The documentary is shaping the public debate around campus rape. But a closer look at one of its central cases suggests the filmmakers put advocacy ahead of accuracy | first=Emily | last=Yoffe | work=Slate |access-date=November 20, 2015| date=June 1, 2015 }} The Harvard Crimson criticized the film for misrepresenting sexual assault statistics and other details. The Crimson article also charged that the film's creators had included excerpts of a fake video—created as a prank for the student comedy group On Harvard Time—showing a female Harvard applicant vomiting upon learning she had been accepted to the university.{{cite news|last1=Levingston|first1=Ivan B. K.|title=Film 'The Hunting Ground' Misrepresents Harvard Sexual Assault Statistics|url=https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2015/3/26/hunting-ground-film-statistics/|access-date=November 11, 2015|work=The Harvard Crimson|date=March 26, 2015}} Writing for New York Magazine, Jesse Singal criticized the film's use of statistics from a controversial research paper by Dr. David Lisak, stating that the paper's claims were inaccurate and had little support from other academics.{{cite news|title=The Hunting Ground Uses a Striking Statistic About Campus Rape That's Almost Certainly False|first=Jesse|last=Singal|url=https://nymag.com/scienceofus/2015/11/hunting-grounds-questionable-rape-stat.html|work=New York|date=November 23, 2015}} However, the same statistic was used in the Harvard Law Review article Uncomfortable Conversations: Confronting the Reality of Target Rape on Campus by Diane L. Rosenfeld, the Founding Director of the Gender Violence Program and a Lecturer on Law at Harvard Law School (128 Harv. L. Rev. F. 359).{{Cite web |title=Uncomfortable Conversations: Confronting the Reality of Target Rape on Campus |url=https://harvardlawreview.org/forum/vol-128/uncomfortable-conversations-confronting-the-reality-of-target-rape-on-campus/ |access-date=2024-05-12 |website=Harvard Law Review |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |title=Diane L. Rosenfeld |url=https://hls.harvard.edu/faculty/diane-l-rosenfeld/ |access-date=2024-05-12 |website=Harvard Law School |language=en-us}}

An additional controversy surrounded emails sent by producer Amy Herdy trying to solicit interviews for the film, in which Herdy stated that The Hunting Ground was "very much in the corner of advocacy for victims, so there would be no insensitive questions or the need to get the perpetrator's side." Herdy's email said that the filmmakers wanted the alleged perpetrator to "get complacent because then we will ambush him."{{cite news|title=A Smoking-Gun E-mail Exposes the Bias of The Hunting Ground|first=Stuart Jr. |last=Taylor|url=http://www.nationalreview.com/article/427166/hunting-ground-smoking-gun-e-mail-exposes-filmmaker-bias-against-accused|work=National Review|date=November 16, 2015|access-date=November 20, 2015}}{{cite web|last1=Suk|first1=Jeannie|title=Shutting Down Conversations About Rape at Harvard Law|url=https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/argument-sexual-assault-race-harvard-law-school|publisher=New York Magazine|access-date=16 December 2015|date=11 December 2015}} In response, the filmmakers stated that the singling out of those emails was a diversionary tactic to take attention away from the failings of college administrators and discredit the filmmakers.

In an open letter released in November 2015, nineteen Harvard Law School professors (Elizabeth Bartholet, Scott Brewer, Charles Donahue Jr., Nancy Gertner, Janet Halley, Bruce L. Hay, Philip B. Heymann, David W. Kennedy, Duncan M. Kennedy, Randall L. Kennedy, Charles J. Ogletree Jr., Richard D. Parker, J. Mark Ramseyer, David Rosenberg, Lewis D. Sargentich, David L. Shapiro, Henry J. Steiner, Jeannie C. Suk, Laurence H. Tribe) criticized The Hunting Ground. They wrote, "This purported documentary provides a seriously false picture both of the general sexual assault phenomenon at universities and of our student Brandon Winston," citing, among other sources, Emily Yoffe's article in Slate.{{cite news|title=19 Harvard Law professors pen letter denouncing 'The Hunting Ground'|first=Ashe|last=Schow |url=http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/19-harvard-law-professors-pen-letter-denouncing-the-hunting-ground/article/2576140|work=Washington Examiner|date=November 11, 2015|access-date=November 20, 2015}}{{cite web|title=Re: The Hunting Ground (Letter from 19 Law Professors)|first1=Elizabeth|last1=Bartholet|first2=Scott|last2=Brewer|first3=Charles Jr. |last3=Donahue|first4=Nancy|last4=Gertner|display-authors=etal|url=https://kcjohnson.files.wordpress.com/2013/08/hls-pressrelease.pdf|date=November 15, 2015|access-date=November 20, 2015}}{{cite news|title=Harvard Professors: 'Hunting Ground' Unfair to Student|author= |url=https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2015/11/12/harvard-professors-hunting-ground-unfair-student|work=Inside Higher Ed|date=November 12, 2015|access-date=November 20, 2015}}{{cite news|title=Professors Dispute Depiction of Harvard Case in Rape Documentary|first=Cara|last=Buckley |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/14/movies/professors-dispute-depiction-of-harvard-case-in-rape-documentary.html|work=The New York Times|date=November 13, 2015|access-date=November 20, 2015}} The producers posted an online response to this criticism.{{cite web|url=http://www.thehuntinggroundfilm.com/2015/11/response-to-statement-by-19-harvard-law-professors/|title=Response to Statement by 19 Harvard Law Professors|publisher=The Hunting Ground Film|date=November 14, 2015|access-date=November 20, 2015}}

In a statement emailed to The Harvard Crimson, the film's director and producer, Kirby Dick and Amy Ziering, criticized the law professors' letter, saying it was "irresponsible and raises an important question about whether the very public bias these professors have shown in favor of an assailant contributes to a hostile climate at Harvard Law".{{cite news|title=Website Continues Challenge of 'The Hunting Ground' Film|first=Andrew M.|last=Duehren|url=https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2015/12/3/website-challenges-hunting-ground/|work=The Harvard Crimson|access-date=December 5, 2015|date=December 4, 2015}}

Jeannie Suk, one of nineteen Harvard Law professors to sign the letter, told the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education that filmmaker's comment "exemplifies the reckless way some people use the concept of a hostile environment these days", and later tweeted "if actually accused of violating Title IX because of our criticism of @thehuntinground we will not be allowed to speak about that".{{cite web|title='Hunting Ground' Filmmakers to Harvard Law Profs: Criticizing Our Film Could Create a 'Hostile Climate'|first=Samantha|last=Harris|url=https://www.thefire.org/hunting-ground-filmmakers-to-harvard-law-profs-criticizing-our-film-could-create-a-hostile-climate/|publisher=Foundation for Individual Rights in Education|access-date=December 5, 2015|date=December 4, 2015}} Suk later wrote that there have been several inquiries about filing a Title IX complaint and likened the misuse of Title IX to Laura Kipnis' experience. Another of the professors, Janet E. Halley, stated "What [the filmmaker's statement] really means is that they don't want the debate".

In a January 5, 2016 op-ed piece in the Huffington Post, filmmakers Dick and Zeiring reiterated their charges against the nineteen Harvard Law professors signing the letter, stating those professors had "launched a public campaign to discredit an assault survivor" and that their "aggressive actions send a very chilling message to all current and future students at Harvard and Harvard Law: if you report a sexual assault, your professors may come after you publicly".{{cite news|title=How Harvard Law Professors Retaliated Against An Assault Survivor|first1=Kirby|last1=Dick|first2=Amy|last2=Ziering|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/kirby-dick/how-harvard-law-professor_b_8916026.html|work=Huffington Post|date=5 January 2016|access-date=5 January 2016}} Professor Janet E. Halley, a signatory to the original letter, disputed Dick and Zeiring's statement, saying "The Hunting Ground has profoundly misled the public about the ensuing processes which came out decisively against those claims".{{cite news|title='Hunting Ground' Filmmakers Slam Law Professors|first1=Andrew M.|last1=Duehren|first2=Clair E.|last2=Parker|url=https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2016/1/6/hunting-ground-op-ed/|work=The Harvard Crimson|date=6 January 2016|access-date=6 January 2016}}

Florida State University (FSU) President John Thrasher said that The Hunting Ground "contains major distortions and glaring omissions to support its simplistic narrative that colleges and universities are to blame for our national sexual assault crisis."{{cite news|title=Florida State president: 'Inexcusable for CNN to pretend Hunting Ground is documentary rather than advocacy|first=John|last=Thrasher|url=http://www.tomahawknation.com/2015/11/16/9745866/florida-state-president-cnn-hunting-ground|work=Tomahawk Nation News|date=November 16, 2015|access-date=November 20, 2015}}{{cite news|title=FSU President Responds to CNN's Decision to Air "The Hunting Ground"|first1=Edan|last1=Schultz|first2=Julie|last2=Montanaro|url=http://www.wctv.tv/home/headlines/Campus-Sex-Assault-Documentary-Includes-Winston-Accuser--295080521.html|work=WCTV|date=November 19, 2015|access-date=November 20, 2015|archive-date=November 20, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151120045637/http://www.wctv.tv/home/headlines/Campus-Sex-Assault-Documentary-Includes-Winston-Accuser--295080521.html|url-status=dead}} The filmmakers contended in response that Thrasher "just didn't want the film to be seen because it criticizes FSU for their handling of a sexual assault case." Additionally, in a November 21, 2015 open letter to Thrasher (published in the Huffington Post), The Hunting Ground director Kirby Dick and producer Amy Ziering stated that "the film is completely accurate in its depiction of Ms. Kinsman's account, and its depiction of how her case was handled by Florida State University".{{cite news|title=An Open Letter to Florida State University President Thrasher|first1=Kirby|last1=Dick|first2=Amy|last2=Ziering|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/kirby-dick/an-open-letter-to-florida_b_8618724.html|work=The Huffington Post|date=November 22, 2015|access-date=November 22, 2015}}

On November 20, 2015, lawyers for Jameis Winston sent a letter to CNN president Jeff Zucker threatening legal action against the network, should it air the film.{{cite news|title=NFL Star Sends Legal Threat to CNN Over Rape Movie 'The Hunting Ground' (Exclusive)|first=Eriq|last=Gardner|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/nfl-star-jameis-winston-sends-842572|work=The Hollywood Reporter|date=November 20, 2015|access-date=November 20, 2015}} Despite warnings from Winston's attorneys, CNN ran the documentary on November 22,{{cite news|title=CNN to Show Sex Assault Film Despite Legal Threat|first=John|last=Koblin|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/23/business/cnn-to-show-sex-assault-film-despite-legal-threat.html|work=The New York Times|date=November 22, 2015|access-date=November 22, 2015}} along with a follow-up program, hosted by Alisyn Camerota, discussing the film and the issues it raised.{{cite news|title=Transcript: Full panel discussion taped for the CNN program "Sexual Assault on Campus"|author=|url=http://www.cnn.com/2015/11/24/us/the-hunting-ground-panel-discussion/|work=CNN|date=24 November 2015|access-date=1 December 2015}} CNN's airing of The Hunting Ground was a moderate ratings success, with 457,000 estimated viewers. CNN ranked first among cable news networks during The Hunting Ground's time slot in the 25–54 demographic, and placed second for total viewers.{{cite news|title=Documentary About Rape at Colleges Draws Viewers in Key Demographic|first=Richard |last=Sandomir|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/24/sports/ncaafootball/hunting-ground-cnn-college-rape-documentary-ratings.html?_r=0|work=The New York Times|date=23 November 2015|access-date=8 January 2016}}

• "A Rape on Campus"
• Post-assault treatment of sexual assault victims

{{Reflist}}

• {{IMDb title|4185572}}
• {{YouTube | id= GBNHGi36nlM | title= Official trailer }}
• {{cite web|last1=Glock|first1=Allison|author-link1=Allison Glock|title=Fighting Rape On Campus: Talking With Two Heroes From 'The Hunting Ground'|url=https://www.espn.com/espnw/athletes-life/story/_/id/12776315/talking-two-heroes-hunting-ground|website=ESPN|access-date=May 1, 2015|date=April 29, 2015}}
• {{YouTube | id= JINxoR-S5To | title= Clark and Pino discuss The Hunting Ground }}, from March 13, 2015, episode of Real Time with Bill Maher

{{Kirby Dick}}

{{Producers Guild Stanley Kramer Award}}

{{CNN Films}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hunting Ground, The}}

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