New Teaser for Ilinca Calugareanu’s ‘Cops And Robbers’ - Makes World Premiere At 2020 DOC NYC Fest
A new teaser has been released for Ilinca Calugareanu’s A COPS AND ROBBERS STORY, making its World Premiere at the upcoming DOC NYC (www.docnyc.net), November 11-19, 2020. The 11th annual DOC NYC will be held virtually and is available to screen to the entire U.S. online.
In this riveting portrait of a young Black man trapped in a life of crime and mortal danger, A Cops and Robbers Story charts the unlikely journey of Corey Pegues (pronounced “Peg-geese”) from drug-dealing gang member to celebrated police officer. Continuing her exploration of stranger-than-fiction stories, Calugareanu’s insightful film proffers the perennial question of who deserves — or, doesn’t deserve — a second chance in life. Unfolding like a latter-day Dickensian tale, A Cops and Robbers Story arrives as the U.S. grapples with systemic inequities around class, social justice, race relations and police reform.
Corey’s story begins in Jamaica, Queens, where he was born and raised. Like the other kids in the neighborhood, he played cops and robbers…but unlike them, he would grow up to become both. Part of a tight-knit group of friends known as “the five amigos,” Corey was on the front lines of a booming drug trade that transformed the area in the 1980s. Becoming a successful drug dealer was one of the only money-making opportunities available to him. At age 17, Corey found himself embroiled in a turf war and in order to save face he staged a high-stakes retaliation that would surely land him in prison. Thankfully, fate intervened and pre-empted Corey from making the biggest mistake of his very young life.
A few years later, the bright, ambitious and charismatic Corey found a place for himself in the NYPD (New York City Police Department), where he rose up through the ranks to become a decorated deputy inspector. Even though he managed to reinvent himself and thrive, Corey struggled with his dueling identities and what it meant to transition from living on the wrong side of the law to becoming one of the highest-ranking African-Americans in the NYPD. As the first Black commander of one of the most violent precincts in New York City, Corey recognized he was in a unique position to help effect change, build bridges within the community and fight police bias. During his illustrious 21-year career, he was never afraid to speak out and advocate for better police practices, even if it meant facing rebuke from his fellow officers. Fate would introduce still another dramatic twist when Corey’s past affiliations are leaked to the press – revelations that would shock his city to its core.
In creating this layered and moving account, Calugareanu deftly combines multiple elements of cinematic storytelling. In addition to home videos and archival photos, the film incorporates penetrating interviews from friends, family members and colleagues; as well as dramatizations of Corey’s teenage turning points performed by his own son, Corey Bressant Pegues Jr. Ultimately, A Cops and Robbers Story is an inspired examination of a complicated and indomitable man who, against all odds, became a living embodiment of the American dream.
A Cops and Robbers Story, is directed by Ilinca Calugareanu and produced by Mara Adina. The executive producers are Brenda Robinson, Julie Parker Benello, Erika Olde, Nion McEvoy, Sam Roseme, Tanja Tawadjoh, John Battsek, Abbas Nokhasteh, and Jonathan Stanners.