LISTEN: Co-director Christalyn Hampton talks about documenting a day inside an Atlanta women’s health clinic serving patients from across the Southeast. GPB's Pamela Kirkland interviews.
An Atlanta abortion clinic is at the center of an Oscar-nominated short documentary.
The Devil Is Busy follows a single day inside a clinic that has become an access point for patients traveling across the Southeast since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022. The 31-minute film focuses on the Tracii, the clinic's head of security, as she navigates the emotional and logistical realities of providing care in a region where abortion access has become increasingly restricted.
The documentary is the directorial debut of Atlanta native Christalyn Hampton, who co-directed the film with Geeta Gandbhir. Award-winning journalist Soledad O’Brien executive produced the documentary.
GPB’s Pamela Kirkland spoke with Hampton about the film and the moment she learned the documentary had been nominated for an Academy Award.
Pamela Kirkland: This is GPB, I'm Pamela Kirkland. An Atlanta abortion clinic is at the center of The Devil is Busy, an Oscar-nominated short documentary streaming now on Max. The 31-minute film follows one day inside a clinic that's become a critical access point for patients across the Southeast since Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022. Joining me now is co-director Christalyn Hampton. Welcome to Morning Edition and congratulations.
Christalyn Hampton: Thank you and thanks for having me on here.
Pamela Kirkland: This nomination, this is your directorial debut. You co-directed this with Geeta Gambhir. Can you take me back to the moment that you found out that you had been nominated?
Christalyn Hampton: Ooh, wow, thanks for that question. Y'know, I think I'm still floating about this moment. I've been really consistent in trying to create quality work my entire career as a dancer and as a filmmaker. So for when that moment happens, you always want it, but when you actually hear it, I honestly just screamed because I was just like, "What?" You know, and I feel like this film is such an important — I'm really proud of this film. It's an important issue, and I'm so glad that it's been recognized.
Pamela Kirkland: Let's talk about what the film is about. So Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022 and you have this clinic that's caring for patients from across the Southeast where abortion laws are even more restrictive. And then you have abortions in Georgia that are prohibited once a fetal heartbeat is detected, which is typically around six weeks of pregnancy. How did seeing Atlanta become this access point kind of shape the story that you wanted to tell?
Christalyn Hampton: Well, I think we wanted to figure out a way to reveal the humanity behind this unfortunate decision to women. And a lot of the states that's near Georgia were the ones that were immediately affected. So seeing women having to travel for miles to come and just get basic health care taken care of was something that was remarkable for us as women filmmakers. And we saw the instant impact. And we chose Georgia because, one, I live here, but honestly it's because of all of the different states that surround us that were immediately — lost access immediately. And so we wanted to be able to capture those moments.
Pamela Kirkland: In the film, you have someone who arrives who just passed the legal limit. What was it like filming some of those conversations that were going on?
Christalyn Hampton: Yeah, I think it's hard for all women, you know, the providers, the staff — because it's the staff that actually has to break it down for them, like, you know, "Sorry, you didn't — you were one day over," you know, and it was really heartbreaking to see some women just like, you know one woman we, off camera spoke with was just, you know, heartbroken because she's like, "I don't want to be, this is not what I want in my life right now. This is what I can't afford in my life right now." And every woman, I think they should have the choice to make any decision for themselves. And, you know, it was really hard to — to take in and watch.
Pamela Kirkland: Let's talk about Tracii for a minute. So she's the clinic's head of security. When did you realize that Tracii was gonna kind of become the heart or the center of this film?
Christalyn Hampton: Ooh, well, she was my heart right when I first met her. She's the first line of defense. And, you know, when I — the first time I went onto the campus, I was, the protesters were really aggressive. And I was sort of like a little shook because I knew that, y'know, they say, "Oh, just drive past them when you arrive," but I wasn't expecting that much aggression. And so I think she sort of, like, looked at me and was like, "Oh, you're going to be OK, girl." So she sort just took me in and we just really hit it off. The person you see on camera is who she is. She has this heart of courage and compassion that sort of spills over to everyone that she meets. And Tracii's just a lovely woman and I think she's confident in her faith that also helps to fuel her day to day and get her going. 'Cause I honestly, I could not do that job every day, but she's definitely a woman of courage.
Pamela Kirkland: Which brings me to my next question, the title of the documentary, The Devil Is Busy. Tell me a little bit about how that came to be.
Christalyn Hampton: Well, you see, the devil is busy in everything that Tracii says, you know, and like most films, you come to the title at the end of the filming and we play with a lot of different titles and that just felt like the right one.
Pamela Kirkland: Christalyn Hampton is co-director of the Oscar-nominated documentary, The Devil Is Busy. It's streaming now on Max. Christalyn, congratulations again and thank you for coming on Morning Edition.
Christalyn Hampton: Thank you for having me. This is great.
Pamela Kirkland: And you can watch whether Christalyn and team take home the Academy Award on March 15. This is GPB.
