Prey (2019)

Most civil, clergy sex abuse cases are settled quietly, out-of-court and far from public view. But PREY follows one survivor and his lawyer as they pursue justice through a public trial in the hopes of forcing the dark and hidden story of clergy sexual abuse to light. A local story with global resonance. Rod MacLeod, the plaintiff in the case, was abused for years as a boy 50 years ago at the hands of a Catholic priest. Rod is represented by Rob Talach, a civil lawyer who has filed 395 suits against the church, earning him the nickname "The Priest Hunter". The defendants are The Basilians of Toronto. Attending trial as their representative was Father David Katulski, the public face of the Catholic religious order. The abuser, Father Hod Marshall, makes his presence known at the civil trial in the form of a haunting video deposition taken before his death. The video had been sealed from public view until now. This trial was not about guilt or innocence, but about how much money the church should pay in compensation for the devastating fallout from the abuse. More importantly for Rod, it was about exposing the truth of how and why the sexual abuse of children could go on for so long without the church stopping it. PREY documents the courtroom drama and delves into the personal stories of many of those present. The documentary's world premiere at Hot Docs on April 26 falls, to the day, on the one-year anniversary of the gripping conclusion of Rod's trial.