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Joe Berlinger on his PARADISE LOST Oscar nomination

Documentary filmmaker Joe Berlinger (CRUDE, SOME KIND OF MONSTER) woke up in Park City this morning to the news his film PARADISE LOST: PURGATORY got an Oscar nomination. Berlinger stopped by the Sundance Channel HQ to talk about the honor and the twenty years he spent documenting the West Memphis Three. For those of you not familiar with the story, The West Memphis Three were teenagers convicted of murdering three young children back in 1994. Berlinger’s trilogy of films followed the young men’s trial, appeals and eventual release. Many people credit Berlinger’s films (co-directed with Bruce Sinofsky) with playing a role in securing the men’s release after 18 years in prison.

via www.sundancechannel.com

Paradise Lost 3 Nominated for Academy Award, Documentary Feature #wm3

Damien Echols discusses life "West of Memphis" #wm3

By Zorianna Kit

(Reuters) - Damien Echols was just a teenager when he and his two friends were tried and convicted of the murder of three young boys in West Memphis, Arkansas in 1993, a case that became known as the West Memphis Three.

Echols, along with fellow teens Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley, are thought by some to be innocent of the crime and over the years, several documentaries have been made about them. Support from "Lord of the Rings" director Peter Jackson and other celebrities has helped raise awareness of their case.

Echols, Baldwin and Misskelley were released from prison last August in a legal maneuver known as an "Alford Plea," whereby the men plead guilty in their own best interest while asserting innocence.

Now their case is the subject of a documentary, "West of Memphis," produced by Jackson, his wife Fran Walsh, along with Echols and his wife, Lorri Davis. The movie looks at their case, interviews them in jail and tracks them after leaving prison.

Read  the full story here.

'West of Memphis' Filmmakers Accuse Stepfather of Murder -- Would Welcome a Lawsuit

By Steve Pond at TheWrap

At a news conference on Saturday, the filmmakers and legal team behind "West of Memphis" made it clear that they'd be delighted to be sued by Terry Hobbs, the man they strongly suggest  is responsible for the triple murder for which three young men spent nearly 20 years in prison.

"Let him have at it," said Dennis Riordan, an attorney who led the legal battle of Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelly, the "West Memphis Three," to regain their freedom.

Hobbs has sued before and lost. But the filmmakers go out on a limb, almost inviting a new lawsuit in implicating him in the murder of his stepson and two eight-year-old playmates in 1993.

"Things worked out very well for us when he sued Natalie Maines," said Riordan with a smile.

Read the full story here.

EW.com: West of Memphis cast Q&A #wm3

Click image to see exclusive new video interview with Peter, Amy, Damien and Lorri.

 

Defense team raises new evidence in #WM3 case

 

From todaysthv.com

Sundance 2012: Tears and Anger as Peter Jackson's 'West of Memphis' Premieres

Damien Echols, Pam Hobbs and John Mark Byers attend the first screening of Amy Berg's documentary about the West Memphis 3 case.

The premiere of West of Memphis, Amy Berg’s new documentary about the controversial Arkansas case of the West Memphis 3, brought a full Sundance audience to the MARC Theatre Friday afternoon. Jackson and wife Fran Walsh, who produced the project, were on hand to introduce it, and several of the people involved in the case and the 1993 murders were there, as well. Victims’ parents John Mark Byers and Pam Hobbs were in the theater, as were Damien Echols and his wife Lorri Davis, who produced the film with Jackson and Walsh. Several of Echols’ lawyers were in attendance as well as a pair of juvenile legal defense workers who helped his case.

Full story at HollywoodReporter.com

'West Of Memphis' Offers New Evidence In #WM3 Saga

Peter Jackson-produced documentary, premiering Friday at Sundance, contains new info about the murders.

By Josh Wigler, with reporting by Josh Horowitz

PARK CITY, Utah — The Peter Jackson-produced documentary "West of Memphis" premieres at the Sundance Film Festival on Friday (January 20), chronicling the conviction, imprisonment and eventual release of West Memphis Three defendants Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley, who were convicted in 1994 of brutally murdering three young boys in Arkansas, despite an overwhelming amount of reasons to believe otherwise.

 

Though Echols, Baldwin and Misskelley were released from prison in August, they have still not been exonerated for the murders. "West of Memphis" aims to present new revelations about their innocence and another man's role in the crime, and as such, the documentary is something of an ever-evolving work — so much so that a new, crucial interview was just shot and added to the documentary in the last week.

"Some witnesses came forward a very short time ago," Jackson told MTV News about the new revelations. "[Director Amy Berg] was able to interview them about six days ago. We only just managed to get that particular interview with two young men into the movie, in time for the screenings today. It's some fairly serious eyewitness statements that I think are going to hopefully push the resolution of the case a little bit further."

Full story at mtv.com.

New sworn statements implicate Terry Hobbs in #WM3 case

by Beth Warren

Attorneys for former West Memphis Three death row inmate Damien Echols made Arkansas history last year when they got him freed. Now they're fighting to clear his name.

The defense team, led by attorney Stephen Braga, announced Friday they have found three new witnesses who point to Terry Hobbs as the real killer of three West Memphis boys. The witnesses, who Braga insists passed polygraph tests, claim Hobbs' nephew, Michael Hobbs Jr., told them "my Uncle Terry murdered those three little boys."

Terry Hobbs, stepfather of victim Stevie Branch, did not return calls Friday. He has denied having anything to do with the boys' murders, and police have never considered him a suspect.

Read the full story here.

Damien Echols, Mark Byers & Pam Hobbs at Sundance #wm3

(AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

January 20, 2012 - Damien Echols, center, a producer of the film "West of Memphis," mingles with Pam Hobbs, left, and Mark Byers at the premiere of the documentary film at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, Friday. Echols spent 18 years on death row in Arkansas after being convicted, along with Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley Jr., of the murders of three eight-year-old boys including Byers' son Christopher and Hobbs' son Stevie. In August 2011 the three men were released from prison after entering a plea that allowed them to maintain their innocence, while acknowleding that prosecutors had enough evidence to convict them.

#Sundance Review: "West of Memphis" | Fourth Row Center: Film Writings by Jason Bailey

But at the end of the day, the picture is too reliant on footage we’ve already seen and things we already know. The second film to the marketplace always suffers in comparison (ask the makers of Infamous). If this were a story we weren’t acquainted with, West of Memphis would be a real knockout. If only.

via www.jason-bailey.com

West of Memphis: Sundance Film Review - The Hollywood Reporter

PARK CITY — Late to the party but absolutely essential, Amy Berg's West of Memphis delivers a gripping overall picture of the West Memphis 3 wrongful-conviction saga while offering many insights for viewers who have followed it through Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky's three Paradise Lost docs. Thorny, blood-boiling and finely made, it deserves a theatrical push.   Controversy precedes the film's debut here, with reports suggesting a turf war between Berg and Berlinger/Sinofsky. But West gives credit to its predecessor early on, citing Lost as the inspiration for most if not all of the follow-up attention, and tips its hat multiple times during the film. (And it only indirectly slams Paradise Lost 2 for casting doubt on a figure in the case, Mark Byers, who Berg clearly believes is innocent.)

via www.hollywoodreporter.com

“My Uncle Terry Murdered the Three Little Boys" in West Memphis #wm3

 It is the "Hobbs Family Secret" According to Nephew

PRESS RELEASE:

(Mountain Home, Arkansas – January 20, 2012) Terry Hobbs’ nephew, Michael Hobbs Jr., allegedly told his friends “my uncle Terry murdered those three little boys,” according to declarations under penalty of perjury recently given to Damien Echols’ defense team. The three new witnesses were polygraphed about what they stated Michael Hobbs, Jr. told them.

 

“One day Michael picked us up in his truck. He was very quiet and upset. Michael then said to us, ‘you are not going to believe what my dad told me today. My Uncle Terry murdered the three little boys.’ According to Michael, his dad called this ‘The Hobbs Family Secret’ and he asked us to keep it a secret and not tell anyone.”

 

Another witness stated, “One night last winter, Michael and I were playing pool in his basement when the third friend asked about the West Memphis Three case which had been in the news. Michael responded by saying, ‘My uncle killed three kids in West Memphis.’ Michael was dead serious when he said this.”

 

The three little boys referenced in the declarations were found brutally murdered in West Memphis, Arkansas in 1993. DNA consistent with Terry Hobbs, stepfather of victim Stevie Branch, was later discovered in the knot of a shoelace used to restrain victim Michael Moore. Three eyewitnesses have also provided sworn statements that they saw Terry Hobbs with the three children on the day of the murders, immediately before they disappeared.  Terry Hobbs has maintained that he never saw the three boys the day they were murdered.

'West of Memphis' Comes to Sundance Trailing Controversy, Advocacy -- and a Mysterious New Interview | Filmmakers, Film Industry, Film Festivals, Awards & Movie Reviews | Indiewire

One of the most compelling pre-Sundance Film Festival storylines this year is Amy Berg’s West Memphis Three documentary, “West of Memphis.” Premiering Friday at The MARC, the Documentary Premiere comes on the heels of the third installment of Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky’s landmark series on the West Memphis Three, “Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory.” That film played to acclaim at the Toronto International Film Festival, New York Film Festival and recently aired on HBO (it’s also on the Best Doc Oscar shortlist).

via www.indiewire.com

Sundance Docs: Peter Jackson & Damien Echols Talk 'West Of Memphis' | The Playlist

Sundance kicks off tomorrow and the journey for many films that will hit your arthouse and garner awards season heat will begin in Park City, Utah. While the lineup of feature films is always impressive, this year in particular features an equally strong array of documentaries with subject matter in a wide range of topics and interests. So here's a few that might catch fire over the next week or so.

via blogs.indiewire.com

Joe Berlinger Interview: NPR

Nearly 20 years ago, three young men were tried and convicted of murdering three boys in West Memphis, Arkansas. Those three young men who were convicted - Damien Echols, Jessie Misskelley, Jr. and Jason Baldwin - became known as the West Memphis Three. They also became a cause. While many in their community were convinced of their guilt, many outsiders believed that they were innocent and that their convictions were based on weak evidence and on faulty arguments.

One definite catalyst in this process was a series of documentaries made about the case all under the title of "Paradise Lost." The series of three documentaries told the stories of all of the people involved and kept alive the doubts about the convictions. The first one aired back in the mid-1990s. The most recent one just launched on HBO within the past few days. And in that documentary, at long last, the men go free. Joe Berlinger is the director and producer of the "Paradise Lost" series. He joins us now by phone from his home office in Westchester County, New York. Joe, welcome to TALK OF THE NATION. Listen to the interview here:

Joe Berlinger NPR Interview

Copyright © 2012 National Public Radio®. For personal, noncommercial use only. See Terms of Use. For other uses, prior permission required.

via www.npr.org

Joshua Kors: Q&A with Joe Berlinger, Director of West Memphis Three Documentary (VIDEO)

In 1993 acclaimed director Joe Berlinger arrived in West Memphis, Arkansas, a community still in shock after three eight-year-old boys disappeared, then were found dead in a nearby ravine. Facing a public that was both enraged and afraid, police scrambled to make an arrest. Soon three local teens—Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley—found themselves in court, accused of the murders.

via www.huffingtonpost.com

Freedom Not 'Paradise' For 'West Memphis Three' : NPR

In 1994, three teens were convicted of the murder of three boys in West Memphis, Ark. The trial drew national attention, due in part to the HBO documentary series Paradise Lost. The "West Memphis Three" appealed their convictions and were released from prison in August 2011. Hear Jason Baldwin's interview here:

Jason' Baldwin's Interview

Copyright © 2012 National Public Radio®. For personal, noncommercial use only. See Terms of Use. For other uses, prior permission required.

via www.npr.org

Q&A With ‘West Of Memphis’ Producers Peter Jackson & Fran Walsh

By Mike Fleming

EXCLUSIVE: Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh last came to the Sundance Film Festival in 1993 to debut their splatter film Dead/Alive at a midnight premiere. It was that same year that three boys were murdered in Arkansas, and teens Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley were convicted in a sensationalized trial in which prosecutors portrayed them as satanic ritualistic killers. Despite the lack of any physical evidence, the West Memphis 3 were sent to prison for life, with Echols given the death penalty. Jackson and Walsh return to Park City this week to introduce West of Memphis, an Amy Berg-directed documentary. Not only did Jackson and Walsh finance the film (which they produced with Echols and his wife Lorri Davis); much of the docu is based on evidence that came to light after Jackson and Walsh began quietly paying bills for DNA testing, forensic experts and investigators to force a retrial. In the face of overwhelming evidence, the defendants were finally freed after 18 years, forced a accept a plea agreement where the trio maintained innocence, but also pleaded guilty to perhaps the most notorious murders in Arkansas history.

Read the full story at deadline.com

West of Memphis Movie Poster

via www.impawards.com

The new poster for West of Memphis.

Peter Jackson talks 'West of Memphis' | Inside Movies | EW.com

In 1993, three 8-year-old boys were murdered in West Memphis, Ark. It was a horrifying, sensational crime. Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin, and Jessie Misskelley Jr. — who’d become known as the West Memphis Three — were painted by prosecutors as devil-worshipping metalheads and convicted. Echols, then 18, was sentenced to death, while Baldwin, 16, and Misskelley, 17, got life sentences. The trial struck many as a sham, and an HBO documentary about the case, 1996’s Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills, outraged and inspired celebrity supporters such as Eddie Vedder, Natalie Maines, Johnny Depp, and Lord of the Rings director Peter ­Jackson and his partner, Fran Walsh. (Two more Paradise Lost films have since been made; the third just aired on HBO.) In 2004, Jackson and Walsh quietly began financing investigations to get the men released. Then, last August, after 18 years in prison, Echols, ­Baldwin, and Misskelley were finally freed — but not exonerated. In exchange for their freedom, they agreed to an “Alford plea.” The upshot is that they can tell the world that they’re innocent, but the state can tell the world that they’re guilty — and never get sued for wrongful imprisonment.

via insidemovies.ew.com

Peter Jackson's 'Memphis' film to premiere this week

Sir Peter Jackson's documentary about three US teens convicted of the satanic ritual murders of three eight-year-old boys in the 1990s will premiere this week at the Sundance Film Festival.

Read more: http://www.3news.co.nz/Peter-Jacksons-Memphis-film-to-premiere-this-week/tabid/418/articleID/239506/Default.aspx#ixzz1jjwCbZJt

via www.3news.co.nz

Jason, Joe and Bruce on The Today Show #wm3

Short but succinct piece on PL3 and WM3 case with Lester Holt on Sunday 1.15.12. Click photos to watch!

Jason Baldwin makes it to Disneyland!

#wm3

'PL3: Purgatory': Jason Baldwin Of The WM3 On His Journey To Freedom

From the Huffington Post:

On May 5, 1993, three eight-year-old boy scouts -- Stevie Branch, Michael Moore and Christopher Byers -- were found dead. One month later, three teenagers -- Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley -- were arrested for the murders, despite a lack of evidence. They spent 18 years in prison for a crime they didn't commit, before being released in August 2011 after taking the Alford Plea deal offered to them.

Filmmakers Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky chronicled the West Memphis Three's 1993 arrests and their sentencing in the 1996 HBO film, "Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills" and a 2000 sequel. The third and final installment of the "Paradise Lost" trilogy, "Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory," premiered on Jan. 12, 2012.

Jason Baldwin, who was just 16 years old when he was arrested and sentenced to life in prison, never gave up hope. He believed that everything would work itself out. Little did he know, however, it would take 18 years to do so.

Baldwin sat down with The Huffington Post's Crystal Bell and went back to 1993, when he was first convicted, and revealed the tremendous impact the documentaries have had on his life in