PORT TOWNSEND, Wash. — Goddard College’s MFA in Creative Writing Program will host a free screening of critically acclaimed documentary West of Memphis, followed by a Q&A with first-time filmmaker Damien Echols on Monday, February 17, at 2:45 p.m. at the Rose Theatre in Port Townsend. Doors open at 2:15 p.m.
Written and directed by Academy Award nominated filmmaker Amy Burg (Deliver Us From Evil), and produced by Echols and Lorri Davis, in collaboration with the Academy Award-winning team of Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh, West of Memphis tells the story behind an extraordinary and desperate fight to bring truth to light; a fight to stop the State of Arkansas from killing an innocent man.
Starting with a searing examination of the police investigation into the 1993 murders of three, eight-year-old boys in the small town of West Memphis, the film goes on to uncover new evidence surrounding the arrest and conviction of the three other victims of this shocking crime, among them a teenaged Echols, convicted and imprisoned for 18 years for crimes they did not commit.
During his 18 years on death row, Echols received support from such high-profile artists as actor Johnny Depp, Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder, the Dixie Chicks’ Natalie Maines, and former Black Flag frontman Henry Rollins. His story was also been the subject of three Paradise Lost documentaries from HBO.
Echols will be joined by his wife, Lorri Davis, who led the legal effort resulting in his release. Free tickets will be available beginning Tuesday, February 3, at the Rose Theatre box office during regular business hours. This movie is rated R with a run time of 147 min.
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About Goddard College
Goddard College offers accredited, low-residency bachelor’s and master’s degree programs from its main campus in Plainfield, Vermont, and its sites in Seattle and Port Townsend, Washington. With a model that blends the best of on-campus and distance education, Goddard provides students with experienced faculty advisors, rigorous on-campus residencies, and the freedom to study from anywhere. Initially founded in 1863 as the Goddard Seminary in Barre, Vt., Goddard College was chartered in 1938 by President Royce “Tim” Pitkin. In 1963, Goddard became the first U.S. college to offer low-residency adult degree programs.
Contact
Joyce Gustafson
Goddard College
360.344.4100
joyce.gustafson@goddard.edu
