Nick August-Perna complex documentary feature TELL THEM YOU LOVE ME 
explores the story of Anna Stubblefield, an esteemed Rutgers 
University professor who becomes embroiled in a controversial affair with Derrick Johnson, a Black man with cerebral palsy, and who has been non-communicative since his earliest days. Using a highly disputed technique Anna says she unlocked Derrick’s mind from his body by teaching him to communicate using a keyboard. In addition to Anna Stubblefield, we hear from Derrick’s brother John 
Johnson, their mother Daisy Johnson and a variety of academics and doctors who lend their perspective on the relationship and what follows from it. The relationship eventually leads to Anna’s arrest and a high profile criminal trial that would challenge our perceptions of disability and the nature of consent. Through exclusive footage and interviews with those 
on both sides of the case, the film weaves a riveting and endlessly nuanced story about communications, race and sex. Director and co-writer Nick August-Perna (The Oxy-Kingpins) joins us for a conversation on going about 
gaining the cooperation and trust from the participants, including Anna Stubblefield and her mother, finding a balanced approach to telling the story and his joy at seeing how TELL THEM YOU LOVE ME seems to resonate with audiences at film festivals, 2023 Hamptons International Film Festival, and the 2023 Montclair Film Festival where it won the jury awards for Best Documentary Feature and now as the most popular documentary on NETFLIX.
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For more go to: nickaugustperna.com
About the filmmaker – Nick is an award-winning director, producer, and editor whose work has been nominated for the Emmys, the Duponts, and the Academy Awards. His directorial work aims to present stories that challenge the shape and power of the documentary form, to inspire discourse, and to build empathy. His latest feature documentary, Tell Them You Love Me, premiered on Netflix in June, 2024 and was the #1 most watched film in America its first week on the platform.
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“All credit to this film for its high quality and refusal to sensationalise” – The Times
“Netflix continues to provide a steady stream of fascinating true crime stories that will have you transfixed to your television for an hour. Tell Them You Love Me falls right in that tradition. – Alan Ng, Film Threat
“Beyond consent, disability and race there is space given to reflect upon the nature of language, the “white saviour” complex, the purpose of justice and what constitutes unconditional love.” – Leila Latif, The Guardian
“Will leave you thinking about it long afterwards” – The Observer
“a gripping, see-sawing story that unseats our preconceptions and wrenches our sympathy this way and that” – Radio Times