Unbroken Smile
What does it mean to smile after trauma? To fight back after being silenced? To reclaim your truth in a world built to suppress it?
For Brittany Chrishawn, Unbroken Smile is more than a documentary. It’s a battle cry. A living record of what happened — and what must never happen again.
A True Story the System Tried to Erase
In May 2020, Brittany Chrishawn — a filmmaker, entrepreneur, and Black woman — was violently assaulted by officers from the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office at her own home. She was innocent, unarmed, and on her own property. But that didn’t stop officers from breaking her teeth, pinning her to the ground, and falsely charging her with felonies that could have landed her in prison for 10 years.
Despite the trauma, Brittany documented; she fought; and she created.
Unbroken Smile Is the Documentary They Never Wanted Made
Through powerful firsthand footage, courtroom records, exclusive interviews, and raw emotional storytelling, Unbroken Smile takes you deep into Brittany’s journey — not just as a survivor, but as a strategist, artist, and truth-teller.
This isn’t just a film about police brutality. It’s about:
- A system that punishes people who fight back
- Resilience, resistance, and reclaiming narrative power.
- The cost of staying silent — and the danger of speaking out.
Why This Film Matters
While headlines come and go, Brittany’s story remains one of the most well-documented, legally complex, and emotionally powerful examples of modern-day police violence against a Black woman in America.
Unbroken Smile is not just about her. It’s about:
- The survivors who were never believed.
- The families still waiting for justice.
- The communities gaslit and criminalized.
- The system that fails — and the people rising to change it.
From Illville to Reality
Before Brittany became the subject of a national police brutality case, she was already building stories with purpose. As the producer and co-writer of Illville — a surreal crime dramedy directed by her husband Ausar Moore — Brittany was crafting films that spoke to paranoia, institutional mistrust, and survival.
Then life imitated art.
Now, Unbroken Smile completes the circle as a real-life account that validates what so many feel but can’t always prove: the system was never broken. It was built this way.
Join the Movement
Want to be a part of the movement?
Here’s how you can help:
- Host a screening in your city or on your campus
- Request press materials or interviews
- Subscribe for updates on release, screenings, and more
They broke her teeth, but they couldn’t break her smile.