Film Community Champions Amy Seimetz as Abuse Claims Against Shane Carruth Surface
Zack Sharf
Film journalists, critics, directors, and more are showing support for writer-actress-filmmaker Amy Seimetz on social media after news surfaced she has an open restraining order against “Primer” and “Upstream Color” director Shane Carruth. Seimetz starred opposite Carruth in “Upstream Color” and the two had a relationship that ended in 2018. Seimetz filed for the restraining order against Carruth on June 12, citing years of emotional and physical abuse. One alleged incident that occurred at a hotel in 2016 found Carruth strangling Seimetz until it was hard for her to breathe.
Seimetz’s restraining order gained visibility on social media after Carruth tweeted an image of the “Upstream Color” soundtrack on vinyl with part of the restraining order document sticking out from underneath it. The photo’s timing has led many people in the film community to wonder if Carruth is trying to take attention away from the release of Seimetz’s acclaimed new film “She Dies Tomorrow,” which opens in drive-in theaters July 31 before a VOD debut August 7.
As Slate senior editor Sam Adams wrote on Twitter, “This is sickening, made worse because Carruth seems to have made it public in an attempt to sabotage the release of Seimetz’s movie.”
A flood of tweets from critics and writers hit social media supporting the upcoming release of “She Dies Tomorrow.” Entertainment Weekly senior writer Clark Collis shared with his followers, “Over the last decade, actor-writer-director Amy Seimetz has proven herself as one of our great storytelling talents both in front of the camera and behind it. Her new film ‘She Dies Tomorrow’ (out Friday) is a brilliantly unnerving, horribly timely movie. Please retweet.”
Other writers used social media to spotlight other Seimetz projects worth seeking out, including her directorial feature “Sun Don’t Shine” and her work as a director and creator of the Starz original series “The Girlfriend Experience.” IndieWire has rounded up the ongoing social media support for Seimetz in the posts below.
💁♀️ TV options? Of course! She also co-created THE GIRLFRIEND EXPERIENCE (and wrote and directed many eps), and that’s all on Hulu and Starz! More? Oh, you! How about two episodes of ATLANTA that she directed? “Helen” and “Champagne Papi,” both from season two, on FX! 🍾
— Kate Erbland (@katerbland) July 28, 2020
this is sickening, made worse because Carruth seems to have made it public in an attempt to sabotage the release of Seimetz’s movie https://t.co/iAejzhDEkJ
— Sam Adams (@SamuelAAdams) July 28, 2020
Her name is Amy Seimetz, and she’s a wonderful director-actor-writer. I hope she’s safe and surrounded by support. This is a horrifying ordeal, and I’m sorry she now has to deal with this under the public eye. https://t.co/5TjqNAZP3a
— Monica Castillo (@mcastimovies) July 28, 2020
Also, watch season one of the Girlfriend Experience (on Starz). The finale, written by Amy Seimetz, is one of the greatest episodes in the history of television.
— Eric Eidelstein (@ericeidelstein) July 28, 2020
Over the last decade, actor-writer-director Amy Seimetz has proven herself as one of our great storytelling talents both in front of the camera and behind it. Her new film She Dies Tomorrow (out Friday) is a brilliantly unnerving, horribly timely movie. Please retweet.
— Clark Collis (@ClarkCollis) July 28, 2020
Amy Seimetz is an amazing multi-hyphenate actor and director and writer and producer and editor. Her latest movie is out soon ❤️https://t.co/HzRU3EWohx
— Sam Barlow (@mrsambarlow) July 28, 2020
Amy Seimetz is a boss, full stop. Start with her brilliant series version of THE GIRLFRIEND EXPERIENCE @STARZ.
— M.A. Fortin (@SeniorTeenager) July 28, 2020
Better idea: support Amy Seimetz and check out her movie, which is by all accounts great, when it drops at the end of this week. I know I will.
— Scott Wampler™ (@ScottWamplerBMD) July 28, 2020
In response to that other thing everybody’s talking about let me simply reiterate that SHE DIES TOMORROW is an excellent movie and you should watch it when you can.
— Sean Burns (@SeanMBurns) July 28, 2020
Months afterwards I remain truly haunted by SHE DIES TOMORROW, a film so uniquely and personally pitched that its sorrow and pessimism somehow became inseparable from my own. Also it’s exquisitely constructed and acted, and stealthily funny. Seek it out this week, please. pic.twitter.com/dldD4nnnIj
— Eric Hynes, in the view of some experts (@eshynes) July 28, 2020
