Films
AT THE DEATH HOUSE DOOR
Australian Premiere
AT THE DEATH HOUSE DOOR
Australian Premiere
USA 2008, English, 96 mins
Directors/Writers/Producers: Steve James & Peter Gilbert
Genre: Documentary
Film Website: http://www.ifc.com/atthedeathhousedoor
Themes: Death penalty, Right to life
Related Links: http://www.reprieve.org.au
2008 Oscar Nomination - Best Documentary (view media release)
South by Southwest 2008 - Spotlight Premiere
Full Frame Festival 2008 - Inspiration Award
Atlanta Film Festival 2008 - Best Documentary Feature
Hot Docs Film Festival 2008 - Official Selection
Synopsis
For 15 years, Rev. Carroll Pickett served as the death house chaplain to the Walls prison unit in Huntsville, Texas. He presided over 95 executions, including the first lethal injection to be administered anywhere in the world. After each execution, Pickett made an audiotape documenting his involvement with the victim and the distress he felt over his own role in the death chamber. Pickett was particularly shaken over the execution of a young man, Carlos de Luna, whom he firmly believed to be innocent - a suspicion which fresh evidence discovered by the Chicago Tribune reporters appeared to support. A stirring montage of photographs, sound and raw emotion, the film offers an unflinchingly original commentary on the death penalty.
Poignant, heart-rendering story! Carroll Pickett's compassion and sympathy, so expertly captured by James and Gilbert, should be a humbling lesson for us all. — Cinematical
