Special Free Screening: The Penalty

The Penalty (U.K., 86 min) is a feature documentary film following three people, a murder victim’s mother, a capital defense lawyer, and an exonerated death row inmate, and their extraordinary experiences with America’s modern death penalty. The film includes the story of Damon Thibodeaux, who served 15 years on Louisiana’s Death Row before his exoneration through DNA testing in 2012.

The film is directed by London-based Will Francome (In Prison My Whole Life, Sundance 2008) and Mark Pizzey (with Mr. Francome, Raindance award winner 2013 for One For Ten), and edited by James Scott (Sundance Special Jury Award for Editing 2015 for How to Change the World).

Filmmaker Will Francome will attend the film screening and participate in an audience Q&A afterwards.

This free screening by Cinema on the Bayou Film Society is made possible with the assistance of The Penalty team, including Will Francome, his co-director Mark Pizzey, producer Laura Shacham, editor James Scott, and executive producer Christopher Hird, as well as the staff and board of directors of the Promise of Justice Initiative based in New Orleans.