West of Memphis to Screen as Part of the TIFF 2012 Mavericks Lineup; New Stills Released

Steve Barton   |  

Aug 21, 2012

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The Toronto International Film Festival has announced this year’s Mavericks lineup, which invites audiences into discussions with leaders in the film industry and beyond, and the highlight for Dread readers is the documentary West of Memphis.

The film was written and directed by Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Amy Berg (Deliver Us From Evil) and produced by first-time filmmakers Damien Echols and Lorri Davis, in collaboration with the multiple Academy Award winning team of Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh. West of Memphis tells the untold story behind an extraordinary and desperate fight to bring the truth to light.

Synopsis
Starting with a searing examination of the police investigation into the 1993 murders of three, eight-year-old boys – Christopher Byers, Steven Branch, and Michael Moore – in the small town of West Memphis, Arkansas, the film reveals the story from the inside. West of Memphis uncovers new evidence surrounding the arrest and conviction of the other three victims of this shocking crime – Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin, and Jessie Misskelley, all three of whom were teenagers at the time of their arrests and all three of whom were imprisoned for crimes they did not commit.

You can catch West of Memphis‘ Canadian premiere at 2:30 pm on Saturday, September 8, at the Ryerson Theatre. A pre-taped video introduction by Jackson precedes the screening, which is followed by a live discussion about the case and the movement it inspired with Berg, Echols, Davis, Natalie Maines, and Johnny Depp. Moderated by Thom Powers.

The Mavericks programme also showcases the world premieres of American Masters Inventing David Geffen, Casting By, and The Pervert’s Guide to Ideology and the North American premiere of Sons of the Clouds: The Last Colony.

TIFF 2012 runs September 6-September 16. Visit the official Toronto International Film Festival website for more info and the full schedule, which just went live today.

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