IN PLAIN SIGHT is the story of an Amish woman who breaks her silence and ignites a nationwide movement of Amish sexual assault survivors fighting for healing, justice and reform from a famously insular, religious community.
Lizzy Hershberger grew up in the bucolic countryside and cornfields of Minnesota’s Amish Bluff Country. Far from modern society, she walked barefoot, rode in buggies and attended a one-room schoolhouse. But at 14 years old, Lizzy was repeatedly raped by the Amish farmer she worked for. Years later, she finds the courage to report him. IN PLAIN SIGHT follows Lizzy as she comes forward and helps other Amish survivors speak out. Currently a feature documentary in production, the film sheds light on a movement of survivors speaking out for the first time.
Based on a groundbreaking and award-winning investigation by Director Sarah McClure, this ITVS-supported film explores the fight and progress around Lizzy’s work with survivors. Menno is a young man excommunicated after fleeing his Amish family in a stranger’s truck. Katrina is a pregnant woman pressured by her Mennonite community to drop charges against her abuser. And Dena is an Amish woman who, along with Lizzy, co-founded the first Amish survivors’ support group, Voices of Hope.
IN PLAIN SIGHT was selected by the prestigious Independent Television Service (ITVS) and will reach millions of viewers through a national PBS broadcast, film festivals, and possibly a theatrical run and a streaming run. As the publisher of Cosmopolitan magazine, Hearst Media will help extend our global reach.
