Director Dorothy Allen-Pickard Investigates Decades of Undercover Policing in the UK

We Did Not Consent, the hard-hitting new documentary by SKUNK’s Dorothy Allen-Pickard, is streaming now, only on Guardian Documentaries.

The film investigates three decades of undercover policing in the UK-where police infiltrated activist groups, forming intimate relationships with their targets and, in some cases, fathering children. As the Undercover Policing Inquiry continues, We Did Not Consent puts three women at its front, as they re-enact and deconstruct critical scenes in their lives.

Blending humour and theatricality, the film examines media portrayals that have for so long presented these women as hapless victims. Here, they become powerful and quick-witted, determined to rewrite their narratives. Masked for anonymity, the women work with actors to express the absurdity and betrayal of their experiences, along with pushing back against victim-blaming coming from society.

Guardian Documentaries presents We Did Not Consent, in association with the creative talent of the award-winning Breach theatre company. The line between performance and reality blurs. Contemplative and compelling, this mix of identity, surveillance, and resistance leaves viewers with urgent questions about justice and police accountability.

The film has played at Hot Docs, Palm Springs, Dinard, Docs NYC and is programmed to screen at London Short Film Festival in January 2025. It has also been selected for Vimeo Staff Picks.