Sundance 2012 | Maryland Film Festival Blog

Posts Tagged 'Sundance 2012'

Sundance Update: ETHEL by MFF Alum Rory Kennedy is a Hit!

Published January 22, 2012 Uncategorized 2 Comments
Tags: Ethel, Ethel Kennedy, Rory Kennedy, Sundance 2012

It’s rare to make a movie about your Mom that gets in to Sundance, and its even rarer when that movie is wildly entertaining and has universal appeal, but that is exactly what Rory Kennedy has done. With her new documentary, ETHEL, Rory chronicles the life of her mother, Ethel Kennedy, with intimate conversations and never-before-seen images of the Kennedy family.

An MFF alum, Rory is a talented filmmaker but on every level this challenge must have seemed crazy. The audience here went nuts.

Here’s a picture Jed caught of Rory talking to one of the many people who lined up to talk with her after the screening.

Stay tuned for more of Jed’s updates from Sundance 2012!

Rory Kennedy, MFF Alum and Director of ETHEL, at Sundance 2012

Sundance Update: WEST OF MEMPHIS Builds on Legacy of MFF Alums Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky

Published January 22, 2012 Uncategorized Closed
Tags: Amy Berg, Bruce Sinofsky, Joe Berlinger, Paradise Lost, Peter Jackson, Sundance 2012, West Memphis Three, West of Memphis

Jed was in attendance for the high profile 2012 Sundance documentary screening of WEST OF MEMPHIS, the fourth film made about the infamous West Memphis Three murder trial. This story was first chronicled in the acclaimed HBO documentary series PARADISE LOST made by MFF alums Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky.

With the help of filmmaker Peter Jackson, the investigation of the West Memphis Three was able to continue, and investigators brought DNA information to light that proved the men who had been convicted of the crimes (Jessie Misskelley Jr., Jason Baldwin and Damien Echols) were wrongly imprisoned for the last 17 years.

After the screening, Jed got this picture of the crew (from left to right): film director Amy Berg, followed by the great Peter Jackson in the checked shirt, followed by his longtime partner Fran Walsh (producer, writer, composer, and wife) who is holding the hand of Lorri Davis, a principal in the film and advocate for the West Memphis Three. To Lorri’s left is Damien Echols, the one member of the West Memphis Three who was sentenced to death. He was on death row for 17 years, ending last August when the State of Arkansas released them.

The three great PARADISE LOST films were made over 17 years and are available On Demand now.