Predators

David Osit / United States / 2025 / Czech Premiere / 96 min.

synopsis

Between 2004 and 2007, NBC aired the controversial show To Catch a Predator, which caused an unprecedented stir in the US. The star of the show, host Chris Hansen, under the supervision of the crew, hidden cameras, and the police, entered scenes where traps for sexual predators had been carefully set up. Despite the initial wave of enthusiasm, the focus on sexual violence against young victims was gradually overshadowed by the emotional impact the show had on both the victims and the predators themselves. Their rehabilitation and repentance were drowned out by a media lynching that blurred the perceived line between reality and fiction and resulted in feelings of loneliness and misunderstanding, as well as loss of life.

“People watched it, partly as a public service, and found schadenfreude, shock value and humour within that. It was much later in life that I began to find something worth interrogating about this show, but when it first came on I watched it, like many other teenagers did, with this mix of amazement and horror.” — David Osit

biography

David Osit (born 1987) is an American documentary filmmaker, editor, composer, and three- time Emmy Award winner. He studied at universities in Michigan and Cairo. As an editor, he has worked on film No Man's Land (2017) and the HBO series Hostages (2022). As a director, he has created the acclaimed films Building Babel (2012), Thank You for Playing (2015), Mayor (2020), and The Antisocial Network: Memes to Mayhem (2024) for Netflix.