“SEIZED,” a documentary examining the August 2023 police raid on the Marion County Record, made its world premiere Jan. 25 at the Sundance Film Festival as part of the U.S. Documentary Competition.
The film, SEIZED, recounts the controversial search of the small-town Kansas newsroom and the aftermath that followed, including the death of the newspaper’s 90-year-old co-owner days later.
“All five screenings at Sundance enjoyed a full house,” director Sharon Liese said in a statement. “The audience reaction was beyond our expectations, and many reviews have been coming in since.”
The documentary is directed by Liese and produced by Sasha Alpert and Paul Matyasovsky. It follows the town of Marion in the wake of the raid, exploring issues of press freedom, abuse of power, journalistic ethics and the constitutional questions raised by the case.
The raid drew national attention in 2023 after local police seized computers, phones and reporting materials from the newspaper and its publisher’s home. Critics argued the search violated First Amendment protections and state shield laws.
The Society of Professional Journalists supported the film’s development through a $15,000 grant in 2024 from its First Amendment Forever Fund. In 2023, the organization also committed up to $20,000 in legal defense assistance to the Record following the raid.
SPJ leaders said the case became a national symbol of the challenges facing local journalism and press protections.
“SEIZED” documents the personal and professional toll of the incident on the newspaper’s staff and the broader community, while placing the events in the context of growing concerns over government accountability and the treatment of journalists.
The film’s Sundance debut marks its first public screenings and positions it for wider distribution later this year.
More information about the documentary is available through the Sundance Film Festival’s official program.
Texas Reporter 