An American family seeks refuge in Canada after their hacker son is targeted by the US government, in Sonia Kennebeck’s bizarre story of secrets and lies.
In 2010, law enforcement raided the Indiana home of 25-year-old Matt DeHart, a former Air National Guard member, and his parents. The search warrant was for child pornography. DeHart’s family adamantly denied the charges. They believe the FBI wanted DeHart’s computer drives because of his hacktivist involvement with Anonymous and alleged ties to Wikileaks. DeHart spent 21 months in prison — where he claims he was tortured — before being released on bond. He and his parents, Paul and Leann, then took the radical step of seeking political asylum in Canada. That’s where this story begins. And it gets more strange from there.
Sonia Kennebeck is an independent documentary filmmaker and investigative journalist with more than 17 years of directing and producing experience. She is currently in the process of releasing her new documentary thriller ENEMIES OF THE STATE and is also in advanced production of another feature documentary titled UNITED STATES VS. REALITY WINNER. Her first feature-length film NATIONAL BIRD premiered at the Berlin Film Festival 2016, was selected for Tribeca, Sheffield, and IDFA festivals, and received the prestigious Ridenhour Documentary Film Prize that is awarded to one documentary a year “that defends the public interest, advances or promotes social justice, or illuminates a more just vision of society.” Before she became an independent filmmaker, Sonia Kennebeck directed eight television documentaries and more than 50 investigative reports for German public television. Foreign Policy magazine recognized Sonia Kennebeck as one of the 100 Leading Global Thinkers of 2016, and she was also selected as one of 25 New Faces of Independent Film 2016 by Filmmaker Magazine. In 2019, DOC NYC included Kennebeck in the annual 40 Under 40 list of documentary filmmakers. Sonia Kennebeck received a master’s degree in international affairs from American University in Washington, D.C. She was born in Malacca, Malaysia, and lives in New York City.
