Sobering Documentary ‘At the Death House Door’ to Premiere in Chicago From ‘Hoop Dreams’ Filmmakers

HollywoodChicago.com — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 23:36:15 -0700

CHICAGO – The Texas “killer burger” is literally sold right across the street from a state-mandated death house that brings convicted felons to their legal demise.

While the death penalty is believed by many to serve a sort of justice to the guilty the majority of the time, what happens when the wrongly accused fall prey, too? Moreover, is it ultimately right to even treat the guilty with such eye-for-an-eye repercussion?

The documentary “At the Death House Door” from “Hoop Dreams” filmmakers Steve James and Peter Gilbert will have a one-week engagement in Chicago at the Gene Siskel Film Center beginning on May 10, 2008.
Image credit: The Independent Film Channel

The United States has wavered back and forth in its stance on the death penalty. Advocates for and opponents against it are large and fervent on both sides of the fence. Some 18 years later, Chicago Tribune reporters Steve Mills and Maury Possley in 2005 began investigating inconsistent evidence in the case of Carlos De Luna. He was executed in 1989.

Pastor Carroll Pickett in “At the Death House Door”.
Image credit: Kartemquin Films

De Luna’s investigation has prompted pastor Carroll Pickett to speak up. For 15 years, Picked served as the death house chaplain at the infamous “Walls” prison unit in Hunstville, Texas. As Pickett presided over 95 executions – including the world’s first lethal injection – he was each person’s sanctuary in their final moments.

The story of Pickett, De Luna and countless others is being told now in the “quiet powerhouse” documentary “At the Death House Door”. The film’s message is now heating up the country’s burners after its world premiere on March 9, 2008 at the South by Southwest (SXSW) film festival.

“At the Death House Door” filmmakers Steve James and Peter Gilbert already have potent storytelling power with audiences after the landmark 1994 documentary “Hoop Dreams” (in which James directed and Gilbert produced). Gilbert is a Chicago native.

They’re bringing “At the Death House Door” to Chicago for a one-week engagement at the Gene Siskel Film Center starting on May 10, 2008 at 8 p.m.

For that screening, James and Gilbert will be in attendance along with executive producer Gordon Quinn (a founding member of “At the Death House Door” production company Kartemquin Films). The Tribune Company is also a production company for the film, which is being distributed by the Independent Film Channel (IFC). The film will air on IFC on May 29, 2008 at 9 p.m. ET/PT.

With more than 405 executions under its belt since 1976 alone, Texas is far and away the leading state in the U.S. for executions by way of the death penalty. Since 1976 when the Supreme Court reinstated the death penalty, 38 states have adopted the practice. Today, 37 states use lethal injections to execute inmates. Nebraska still uses the electric chair.

The film is prompting discussion for potential change. According to IFC: “On March 5, 2008 at the Texas capitol in Austin, a team of legal experts, elected officials and religious leaders met to discuss current issues surrounding the death penalty including lethal injection, criminal justice, wrongful conviction and the role of religion and values in executions. Each discussion was introduced by a clip [from] ‘At the Death House Door’.”

From 1976 to Sept. 28, 2007, 1,099 inmates were executed, according to the Death Penalty Information Center. Following a seven-month national moratorium, the first Texas executions have been scheduled for this summer. Charles Dean Hood is scheduled in June 2008 and Larry Donnell Davis is slated for July 2008.

Stay tuned for the HollywoodChicago.com interview with directors Steve James and Peter Gilbert as well as seminal “At the Death House Door” interview subject pastor Carroll Pickett.

By ADAM FENDELMAN
Editor-in-Chief
HollywoodChicago.com
adam@hollywoodchicago.com

Interview: John, Brad Hennegan Project Passion For Ponies in ‘The First Saturday in May’

HollywoodChicago.com — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 13:42:55 -0700

CHICAGO – What are you doing the first Saturday in May? Whether the answer is you’re watching the Kentucky Derby on its traditional date or if it’s anything else, the new film “The First Saturday in May” will satisfy both responses.

Barbaro.
Photo credit: Bill Denver at Equi Photo

This is a passionate documentary about the behind-the-scenes trainers and workers who push day in and day out for the elusive goal of getting their 2-year-old racehorse in the Kentucky Derby. It’s accessible enough to charm even non-fans while being comprehensive enough for rabid followers of the sport.

Brad Hennegan in Dubai in March 2006.
Photo credit: Truly Indie

“The First Saturday in May” follows six horses and their training staffs from preliminary races to the big day. Statistics show that only 20 make the derby of 40,000 eligible horses bred per year. The 20 are determined by purse totals in the preliminary races and each training group the filmmakers chose to profile has a shot to make it.

HollywoodChicago.com recently interviewed co-creators John and Brad Hennegan about their passion for the sport of horse racing, the peculiarities of their subjects and the serendipitous timing of profiling the 2006 Kentucky Derby, which is the infamous year of star horse Barbaro and his subsequent injury and death.

“Our father was a racing official for the New York Racing Association for 37 years. His father was involved in racing in Maryland,” said Brad Hennegan while explaining the background of the brothers in the sport.

He added: “We were pretty much born at the racetrack. All of our jobs during the summer were at the racetrack from scooping ice cream to scooping manure. We absolutely loved all the characters we met there.”

John Hennegan added: “While we went to college and got jobs in TV and film, we always stayed close to horse racing as fans. When we both got sick of working for other people, we decided to make our own calling card. We thought doing something about the racetrack would be the best.”

A derby gate break.
Photo credit: Bill Denver at Equi Photo

Therein lies the Chicago connection in their inspiration for making the film. John added: “We wanted to do this film because of ‘Hoop Dreams,’ which was shot in Chicago.”

The derby field with the twin spires in the background.
Photo credit: Bill Denver at Equi Photo

He continued: “It is the ‘Citizen Kane’ of sports documentaries. At the heart of the matter, that was a story about people rather than basketball. We wanted to do the same thing for horse racing. We tried to measure up to that fantastic film.”

Their 99-minute film was edited down from more than 500 hours of footage following the six teams – mostly through the individual trainers – in the months leading up to the derby.

“We wanted to prove why the racetrack was the coolest place you’re not paying attention to,” John related. “We knew it was such a unique place especially to cover for a documentary because the trainers – who are in essence like baseball managers – are just out and about in the crowd.”

From the breezy, buttoned-down essence of Michael Matz (the trainer of Barbaro) to the New York variety frankness of Frank Amonte, each trainer has a story, style and feverish ambition to get to the top rung.

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Each person wrestled with the competition and their own obstacles. Dan Hendricks even trained his horses from a wheelchair after an accident left him paralyzed.

“Dan’s horse was the favorite going into the derby,” Brad said. “To add another level of stress, he had to deal with the press about the injury.”

John added: “Dan is such a great guy. His friends said ‘he has a small stable’. To have a horse make it to that level is amazing. We marveled at the way he handled it all, and even though there were tons of media requests, he didn’t turn down one single person and never complained.”

The race day itself was a perfect culmination to the build up behind the profiles. The atmosphere was captured perfectly, and even though the result is known, the excitement was never diminished.

John Hennegan at Keeneland in April 2006.
Photo credit: Truly Indie

Brad added: “On derby day, we brought in three more cameramen from New York. They were great on getting the atmosphere of this huge event.”

Since it was the year of the Barbaro victory and injury, which lead to his death, John and Brad also participated in the sports story of the year.

“The whole thing was kind of eerie,” John recalled. “Barbaro in the movie was just one of many decent horses profiled. While he was a co-favorite for the Kentucky Derby, he wasn’t a legend. After the derby and after winning by so much, they thought they had the next Secretariat on their hands.”

John added: “The feeling in the air after the injury happened at the Preakness was a public tragedy that was shared and palpable. You could cut the air with a knife. We didn’t know what to do. We were filming for a while and we just put down our cameras. No one knew what to do. It was kind of a blur actually.”

The goal of the filmmakers is not only to promote their favorite sport but to bring more people into the power of it.

“This film is for the neophyte,” Brad said. “We wanted to make it simple and get people interested who are scared of horse racing and think it’s a technical sport. Then you go out there to a track, learn a little more and you see what a great atmosphere it is and how great a sport it can be.”

The exclusive Chicago engagement of “The First Saturday in May” begins on April 18, 2008 at Landmark’s Century Centre Cinema. More dates and venues can be found here. In Barbaro’s memory, 25 percent of the first weekend’s box office total will be donated to the Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation, which is a worldwide leader in equine research.

By PATRICK McDONALD
Staff Writer
HollywoodChicago.com
pat@hollywoodchicago.com