PREMIERED AT THE 2025 SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL

HEIGHTENED SCRUTINY follows Chase Strangio, ACLU attorney and the first out trans person to argue before the Supreme Court, as he fights a high-stakes legal battle to overturn Tennessee's ban on gender-affirming care for transgender youth (United States v. Skrmetti).

The film exposes the dangerous role of mainstream media in fueling anti-trans legislation, uncovering how biased coverage drives hate, endangers lives, and threatens democracy itself. With insights from journalists like Jelani Cobb, Lydia Polgreen, and Gina Chua, and activists like Laverne Cox, the story dismantles anti-trans disinformation and highlights its devastating real-world impact.

As SCOTUS prepares to rule on the case, HEIGHTENED SCRUTINY reveals the fight for bodily autonomy as a fight for the soul of democracy, offering a powerful call to action against bigotry and injustice.

ABOUT THE FILM

SCREENINGS

HEIGHTENED SCRUTINY premiered at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival and is now screening at select festivals across the globe.

UPCOMING SCREENINGS

PAST SCREENINGS

FILMMAKERS

SAM FEDER

DIRECTOR / PRODUCER

Sam Feder is a Peabody Award-nominated film director and writer. Sam’s films explore the intersection of visibility and politics along the lines of race, class, and gender. Sam directed the award-winning Netflix Original documentary DISCLOSURE (2020) and the widely acclaimed documentary Kate Bornstein Is a Queer & Pleasant Danger. 

AMY SCHOLDER

PRODUCER

Amy Scholder has produced two highly acclaimed feature films. My Name Is Andrea, a hybrid documentary about feminist iconoclast Andrea Dworkin, directed by Pratibha Parmar, premiered at the 2022 Tribeca Film Festival. Disclosure, a documentary about the history transgender representation in film and TV directed by Sam Feder, premiered at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival, and was released as a Netflix Original in June 2020.

PAOLA MENDOZA

PRODUCER

Paola Mendoza is a film director, activist, author, and artist. She is a co-founder of The Women’s March and served as its Artistic Director. She was a leading participant in the New York Times best-seller Together We Rise: Behind the Scenes at the Protest Heard Around the World (Dey Street Books, January 2018). As a film director, tackling complex issues like poverty and immigration and the impacts on women and children in the United States, her films have premiered at prestigious film festivals around the world.

Editor
Emelie Mahdavian

Assistant Editor
Nancy Nguyen

Director of Photography
Martin DiCicco

Director of Photography
Mariam Dwedar

Music
Jonathan Sanford

Executive Producers
Laverne Cox
S. Mona Sinha
Bill & Ruth Ann Harnisch
Lisa Freeman
Sara Hinkle

Contributing Producer 
Charlotte Cook
James Costa
Danielle Benedict
Jake Casey

Consulting Producer 
Gina Chua
Muna Mire
Alberto Cairo

Assistant Director
Laura Klein

Production Coordinator
Lauren Greenhall

Camera Operator
Emir Fils-Aime

First Assistant Camera
Madeline Rivera

Digital Imaging Technician
Madeline Rivera
Khadijah Wilson

Additional Camera
Derek Howard
Maksim Axelrod
Lauren Mendoza
J. Bennett
Chris Wairegi
Whitney Shefte

Chief Lighting Technician
Omar Nasr

Key Grip
Alex Blum 

G&E Swing
Agustina Biasutto

Production Sound
Wesley Grant 

Additional Sound
Amelia Palmer 
Jim Choi
Aisha Hallgren

Production Design
Violet Overn 

On-Set Dresser
Leda Seda

Art Assistant
Alexis Blake

Make Up Artist 
Judy Chung 
Robert Reyes 

Hair Stylist
Dee Tranny Bear 
M Alsondo 

Production Assistant
Griffin Garnett
Mariales Diaz
Claire Seaton

FEATURED IN THE FILM

  • Tre'Vell Anderson

    Journalist and Author

  • Mina Brewer

    Real Estate Agent

  • Alberto Cairo

    Knight Chair in Infographics & Data Visualization, University of Miami

  • Gina Chua

    Executive Editor, Semafor,
    Board Member, Trans Journalists Association

  • Jelani Cobb

    Dean, Columbia School of Journalism
    Staff Writer, The New Yorker

  • Laverne Cox

    Actress and Producer

  • Jude Ellison S. Doyle

    Journalist and Author

  • Ari Drennen

    Media Matters LGBTQ Program Director

  • Morgan D. Givens

    Audio Journalist

  • Julie Hollar

    Senior Analyst, FAIR

  • Sabrina Imbler

    Staff Writer, Defector
    New York Times Fellow 2022

  • Elliot Page

    Actor and Producer

  • Miss Peppermint

    TV Actress and Broadway Performer

  • Kae Petrin

    Data & Graphics Reporter, Civic News Company
    Co-Founder, Trans Journalists Association

  • Lydia Polgreen

    Opinion Columnist, New York Times

  • Erin Reed

    Journalist

  • Chase Strangio

    Attorney, American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)

  • Evan Urquart

    Journalist and Founder, Assigned Media

  • Lewis Raven Wallace

    Journalist and Author

SELECT PRESS

Frameline Announces 2025 Completion Fund Recipients, Celebrating LGBTQ+ Stories

Variety, March 19, 2025

Sam Feder (“Heightened Scrutiny”) is among Frameline’s recipients for its 2025 Completion Fund grants, Variety can exclusively reveal. READ MORE

’Heightened Scrutiny’ Is a Somber Reminder of Why We Fight for Trans Rights

Out Magazine, February 6, 2025

The documentary points out that even when we feel depressed and pessimistic, we can’t give up hope, and we can’t give up the fight. READ MORE

Memo to Distributors: Buy These Sundance 2025 Movies

IndieWire, February 4, 2025

Don't be fooled by the slow sales market — smart distributors will find that plenty of great Sundance movies are still up for grabs. READ MORE

Breakout Sundance Films and Key Takeaways From This Year’s Festival

AP News, February 1, 2025

Some films offered an escape from reality; others were a pointed reminder of the domestic and international political landscape. Here are some of the takeaways. READ MORE

‘Heightened Scrutiny’ Follows Supreme Court Battle For Trans Rights Led By History-Making Chase Strangio

Deadline, January 29, 2025

Director Sam Feder and Chase Strangio discuss the film at the Deadline Hollywood Sundance Studio. WATCH NOW

Review: A Transgender Attorney Heads to the Supreme Court in an Emotional and Informative Doc

Variety, January 28, 2025

An immense amount of care and detail goes into the film’s construction, deepening its use of traditional form and packing a powerful punch. READ MORE

Review: A Transgender Attorney Heads to the Supreme Court in an Emotional and Informative Doc

The Guardian, January 28, 2025

The new film premiering at Sundance looks at the troubling rise in anti-trans legislation and the mainstream media outlets who have helped stoke the fire. READ MORE

Review: Arguments Against Trans Rights Are Eviscerated in Timely Legal Documentary

IndieWire, January 27, 2025

ACLU attorney Chase Strangio gears up for a Supreme Court battle that directly affects his life and humanity in stirring exposé from director Sam Feder. READ MORE

‘The Enormity of This Historical Moment wasn’t Lost on Me’ Sam Feder on ‘Heightened Scrutiny’

Filmmaker Magazine, January 27, 2025

Sam Feder talks to Filmmaker Magazine about his new documentary that’s premiering at Sundance. READ MORE

Sundance 2025 Features Uncharted Queer Territory and Reimagined LGBTQ Classics

NBC News, January 23, 2025

Eugene Hernandez says that the process for programming begins right after the festival ends. This year, they received 16,000 submissions and as they sort through films in the early process queer stories start to show themselves. READ MORE

Sundance Programmers Say Political Documentaries Are Still Crucial, Despite Challenging Market

Variety, January 23, 2025

It’s no secret that corporations like Netflix, Amazon, and Apple have lost their appetite for current event documentaries that tackle politics. READ MORE

Sundance Film Festival Unveils a Lineup Heavy on Politics

The New York Times, December 11, 2024

Documentarian Sam Feder was shooting in Washington as recently as last week for “Heightened Scrutiny,” about the American Civil Liberties Union lawyer Chase Strangio and his battle before the Supreme Court for transgender rights. READ MORE

Sundance Film Festival Director Talks Urgency of Queer Storytelling at this Year’s Fest

GLAAD, January 23, 2025

Eugene Hernandez says that the process for programming begins right after the festival ends. This year, they received 16,000 submissions and as they sort through films in the early process queer stories start to show themselves. READ MORE

Sundance 2025 Has a Top-Tier Lineup of Queer Projects

Out Magazine, December 11, 2024

Amid the surge in anti-trans legislation that Chase Strangio battles in the courtroom, he must also fight against media bias, exposing how the narratives in the press influence public perception and the fight for transgender rights. READ MORE

The Sundance Team on 2025 Standouts

IndieWire, December 11, 2024

Sam Feder’s doc profiling ACLU Attorney Chase Strangio, who’s a trans man, is just being finished, but a key part of this film is what happened last week at the Supreme Court. READ MORE