Imagine being in prison for 20 years; your only friend your attorney and your one aspiration acquittal of a brutal crime you never committed. Welcome to the world of Darryl Hunt, the subject of the probing feature documentary "The Trials of Darryl Hunt."
Winner of 13 film festival awards, including four for Best Documentary, "Trials" hits the Spaulding Theater in the Hopkins Center on Oct. 4 at 7 p.m. Directed by Ricki Stern '87 and Annie Sundberg '90, the film is based entirely on true events, chronicling "personal narratives" and "exclusive footage" of the abuses suffered by then 19-year-old Hunt at the hands of a biased criminal justice system.
Hunt, a black man, was convicted in 1984 of the alarming rape and murder of a young white journalist, and he spent two decades in prison for a crime many believed he did not commit.
As he was convicted by a jury consisting of 11 Caucasians and one African American, the trial was highly publicized and brought racial tensions to a head in Winston-Salem, N.C.
Ten years into Hunt's imprisonment, scientific advances made possible the introduction of new DNA evidence supporting his innocence. Disturbingly, this evidence was ignored, and Hunt was re-sentenced to life behind bars. The judge closed his case.
Eventually, it was the relentless efforts of another young reporter and Hunt's defense team that got him his long-deserved freedom in 2004.
However, this critically acclaimed documentary focuses not only on Hunt's legal battles and psychological struggles -- it also takes on the issues of how fear and prejudice can affect judicial proceedings.
"I think the Tucker Foundation wanted to bring this film to the Dartmouth community because it gives a very powerful look at race in America, especially as it relates to the criminal justice system," Stern said in an interview with The Dartmouth. "It's not like a large, boring documentary. We have footage we shot for 10 years following this case. We've actually captured the drama of a man who has had his life taken from him."
A Q&A session will immediately follow Wednesday night's screening, with Darryl Hunt appearing on stage alongside Stern, Sundberg and Hunt's attorney. The documentary is scheduled to open theatrically and to air on HBO in spring of 2007.
