From Fiction to Reality: How Illville Foretold Brittany Chrishawn’s Fight Against Police Brutality
Before Brittany Chrishawn became a national symbol of resistance against police violence, she was quietly helping shape a powerful indie film alongside her husband, filmmaker Ausar Moore. That film, Illville, is a surreal crime dramedy written and directed by Ausar — but its eerie parallels to Brittany’s real-life ordeal make it feel like a prophecy.
In 2018, Brittany helped refine Illville’s bold, stylized narrative as co-writer. And as a producer, she brought her creative eye to the production process in 2019. At the time, the film was purely fiction. But within months of its film festival run, Brittany found herself living out a chillingly similar story.
Illville: A Fictional Warning Turned Real
Illville explores the unraveling of a police officer gripped by paranoia, and control. The world Ausar Moore constructed is nightmarish and exaggerated — or so it seemed at the time.
Then, in 2020, Brittany Chrishawn was violently assaulted by officers from the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office. The attack left her with permanent injuries, broken teeth, and false felony charges. Her identity was nearly destroyed — not by paranoia, but by the very real trauma of police brutality.
Unbroken Smile: The Documentary That Connects the Dots
Today, Brittany Chrishawn is telling her truth through Unbroken Smile, her upcoming feature documentary that chronicles her fight against injustice. The film reveals what happened that day at her home, the aftermath in the courtroom, and her personal transformation from survivor to storyteller.
While Illville (streaming now on Amazon Prime, Tubi, and Apple TV) is a fictional crime drama and action-comedy Unbroken Smile is a real-life portrait of resilience. Together, they form a powerful pair — art and truth, past and present, fiction and fact.
This Story Isn’t Over.
Whether you discovered Brittany Chrishawn through Illville, heard about her story in the news, or are just now joining the Unbroken Smile movement, one thing is clear:
Her smile may have been broken.
But her voice? Unshakable.