Hazing

Premiered September 12, 2022
Directed by

Hazing reveals the tradition of underground rituals that are abusive and sometimes deadly.

About the Documentary

Hazing is a widespread, far-reaching practice fueled by tradition, secrecy, groupthink, power, and the desire to belong in fraternities and sororities on college campuses across the U.S. Filmmaker Byron Hurt embarks on a deeply personal journey to understand the underground rituals of hazing, revealing the abusive lengths college students will go to fit in.   The documentary explores acts of hazing as a practice that occurs in many membership organizations including fraternities and sororities across the United States, some of which have anti-hazing policies.

The Filmmakers

Byron Hurt

Byron Hurt is an award-winning documentary filmmaker, writer, activist, and an adjunct professor at Columbia University. His acclaimed documentaries Hip-Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes and Soul Food Junkies premiered on PBS’s Independent Lens. Byron’s latest film Hazing premiered at the 2022 Tribeca Film Festival and will air on Independent Lens.

Natalie Bullock Brown

Natalie Bullock Brown is an award-winning producer, an assistant teaching professor in interdisciplinary studies at North Carolina State University, a 2021 Rockwood Institute JustFilms Fellow, and a proud member of the Documentary Accountability Working Group.

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Learn More About the Documentary

Blue icons representing men and women line an image, creating a pattern of symbols. A single orange icon peels itself off of the page to distinguish itself.
Beyond the Films

The Psychology of Groupthink and the Desperate, Dangerous Desire for Social Acceptance

Screengrab from the film "Full Metal Jacket" shows a military leader screaming at a solider played by Vincent D'Onofrio.
Beyond the Films

Wild & Disturbing: 10 Hazing Scenes in Movies and TV

A woman with dark skin tone, wearing a black dress and pearl necklace, sits on a white couch surrounded by photos of her son who has passed due to hazing.
Behind the Films

The Price of Hazing: A Personal Journey to Understand the Need to Belong