Elizabeth Smart shares the story of her terrifying abduction in Benedict Sanderson’s true crime doc for Netflix

Shout out to new Stern & Wild client Benedict Sanderson on the release of his latest project KIDNAPPED: ELIZABETH SMART which dropped on Netflix today.

The 90-min documentary revisits one of America’s most notorious kidnapping cases which began in 2002 when 14-year-old Elizabeth Smart was abducted at knifepoint from her home in Salt Lake City and held captive by Brian David Mitchell and his wife Wanda Barzee who abused her for nine months before she was rescued. The film is anchored by Smart’s own account of the trauma she endured as well as the guilt and shame she carried as a result.

It has received positive reviews across the press from the Guardian, the Sun and the Daily Express in the UK to the New York Times, People Magazine and Rolling Stone in the US, with critics praising the framing of the story which puts Smart’s recovery from her ordeal at the centre of the narrative.

Now an advocate for survivors’ rights, 38-year-old Smart has described how she made this film with other victims in mind. “I hope they realize they’re not alone, and that they don’t have to be ashamed of what happened to them,” she said. “And I hope that people who watch this can gain compassion and understanding for other families who are going through this.”

The film is a Minnow Films production for Netflix. Exec Producers are Claire Goodlass, Sophie Jones and Morgan Matthews. It is produced by Gabby Alexander and directed by Benedict who is represented at Stern & Wild by Camilla Chiverton, Agent for Premium Unscripted Creative Talent. It bears all the hallmarks of Benedict’s work: spectacular visuals, here capturing the breathtaking Utah landscape, and a deep sense of heart and humanity.

A two-time BAFTA winner, Benedict’s credits include the recently broadcast two-part documentary SEE NO EVIL (Passion Pictures for Channel 4) which was exec produced by Stern & Wild’s Kira Phillips; and the award-winning projects ATOMIC PEOPLE (Minnow Films for the BBC), THE DETECTIVES (Minnow Films for the BBC) and DUBLIN NARCOS (Blast! Films for Sky Documentaries).

KIDNAPPED: ELIZABETH SMART is available to stream now on Netflix.