Movie directors Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky have announced the sequel to the critically acclaimed HBO documentaries PARADISE LOST THE ROBIN HOOD HILLS MURDERS and PARADISE LOST 2: REVELATIONS entitled PARADISE LOST 3: PURGATORY due to be released and previewed on HBO in November. Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky have also produced and directed the movies BROTHERS KEEPER, the METALLICA documentary SOME KIND OF MONSTER and CRUDE: THE REAL PRICE OF OIL (oil contamination lawsuits in the Amazon).
The West Memphis Three, Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin, and Jessie Misskelley were convicted of the 1993 Robin Hood Hill triple murders of three young boys in West Memphis Arkansas. Echols, Baldwin and Miskselley claim their innocence. "The West Memphis Three" were convicted with no physical evidence as the original trial provoked an atmosphere of Satanic and Wiccan panic. Damien Echols still sits on death row.
The West Memphis Three are due for a new evidentiary hearing in December as DNA testing has excluded the West Memphis Three.
Also, director Joe Berlinger is ready to unleash a documentary about last years BP Oil spill entitled BLACK TIDE.
PARADISE LOST 3: PURGATORY (Nov.) revisits the case of Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley, who were incarcerated for the 1993 “West Memphis Three” child murders, which they maintain they did not commit. For nearly two decades, Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky have chronicled the fight to prove their innocence. From full courtroom access and jailhouse interviews to behind-the-scenes strategy meetings and intimate portraits of grief-stricken families, this third, comprehensive look at the case uncovers shocking new developments since the last film ten years ago. Directed by Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky.
FROM MTV.COM (February 2010):
Many filmmakers dream of turning one movie into a sequel-spawning franchise. But the news that there will be not only a third but likely a fourth "Paradise Lost" documentary is bittersweet to all involved.
"We thought the story was going to come to an end a lot longer ago," co-director Joe Berlinger told MTV News by phone.
Berlinger, together with Bruce Sinofsky, co-directed "Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills" (1996) and "Paradise Lost 2: Revelations" (2000), which documented the trial and controversial convictions of three teenagers for the grisly murders of three 8-year-old boys in West Memphis, Arkansas.
"Originally, we had envisioned 'Paradise Lost 3' not being over until the story comes to its conclusion, which hopefully meant exoneration, but obviously could mean execution, which would be tragic," he continued. "We don't want to make 'Paradise Lost 4,' but it seems like that's in the cards now, because we feel like 'Paradise Lost 3' needs to get out and people need to be reminded that this case is still [ongoing]."
Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley — commonly referred to as the West Memphis Three — have been in prison for over 16 years, with Echols due to die by lethal injection. Many activists and several celebrities — including Johnny Depp, Metallica and Eddie Vedder — believe the trio were wrongly convicted based more on their interest in heavy metal and Stephen King books than the actual facts surrounding the case.
Depp has been making headlines for his pre-taped CBS "48 Hours Mysteries" interview, which will air Sunday during an episode that will discuss new DNA evidence and alleged juror misconduct that could theoretically overturn the convictions. Berlinger told MTV News that Depp actually first reached out to him about the West Memphis Three in 1996, just six months after the first "Paradise Lost" documentary premiered at Sundance.
"He e-mailed me, and we had several lengthy phone conversations. He's been a supporter and he's spoken with Damien. I've gotten an e-mail from Johnny probably once or twice a year since '96 wanting updates on the case. He was one of the first people to say, 'These guys aren't still in prison, are they?' He was blown away by the movie when it first came out, and he couldn't believe that nothing had changed."
Metallica was so moved by the story that they allowed their music to be used in the first film, back in the days before "Mission Impossible 2" and "Old School," when they regularly blocked Hollywood access to their catalog. The relationship they developed with the filmmakers resulted in the acclaimed "Metallica: Some Kind of Monster" film. "Metallica is part and parcel to this story," Berlinger said. "The band is very proud of their association with the 'Paradise Lost' movie, and I would certainly expect that to continue."
Natalie Maines of the Dixie Chicks will likely make an appearance in the third documentary. "We filmed Natalie organically, because she came down and gave a speech on the steps of the Arkansas Supreme Court. She made reference [to another suspect], which brought about a civil suit, which has led to new evidence.
"It's gotten to the point of absurdity, where all this new evidence has come out. The same judge who presided over the original case is presiding over the appeals. Just the fact that the same judge — even though he's retired and running for the state Senate, he's requested to stay active on this one case — that cries out for examination. I can't tell you how many people come up to me, say they loved the film[s], and are shocked and appalled to hear the guys are still rotting in prison."
Berlinger's most recent movie, "Crude" (2009), dealt with a gigantic environmental lawsuit against Texaco. He's worked on several "Iconoclast" episodes for Sundance and is putting together a documentary on horror author Clive Barker called "Raising Hell: The Visions of Clive Barker." Many people he encounters in his work, from Sting to producer Norman Lear, have become interested in the West Memphis Three case.
Berlinger and Sinofsky announced plans for "Paradise Lost 3" in 2004 and figured they'd have it in theaters within three years. "I guess there'll be a 'Paradise Lost 4,' given the glacial pace," he said.
"We shot Damien in December, on his 35th birthday. It was very emotional for everybody," he said. "The last time we interviewed him for a film was 10 years ago. As he said to us in the interview, if he spends another birthday in prison, he will have spent half of his life in prison for a crime he didn't commit."
Berlinger and Sinofsky aim to finish "Paradise Lost 3" by the end of 2010.
Check out everything we've got on "Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills" and "Paradise Lost 2: Revelations. FROM NOLA.COM:
For filmmaker Joe Berlinger, one of the takeaways of his new documentary about the ongoing impact of 2010’s BP oil disaster is that the surviving victims aren’t giving in or giving up.
Animal Planet
'Black Tide.'
"Black Tide: Voices From the Gulf" airs at 8 p.m. Thursday (July 28) on Animal Planet.
"I am amazed at the positive spirit of the Gulf Coast residents,” he said. “After so much natural and man-made destruction, I might have moved on to another place if I had been a resident. Therefore, I think this country has a responsibility to make sure the area is restored and the people are taken care of.”
Among the familiar local faces in the film are Al and Sal Sunseri of P&J Oyster Co., James Carville and chef John Besh. Another character in the story, University of Georgia marine sciences professor Mandy Joye, has been studying the sea-floor impact of the spill. BP also gets its say.
I interviewed Berlinger, now working on another film project in South Africa, via email. Here’s the edited Q&A:
You do a great job of capturing the coexistence here between the fishing and oil-and-gas industries. It's not immediately evident to outsiders, and vexing once it's observed. Was it something you understood when you started the project, or something you discovered once underway?
When I started the project, I thought I was signing on to a straightforward tale of environmental destruction. Once we started embedding ourselves in the region, the great discovery was learning about this complex co-existence and just how vexing the problem is. It's easy for outsiders to point a finger and say that deep water drilling should stop. But, once I understood how entwined the economy is with the oil industry and how many residents of the region work in both industries, it crystallized for me the reality that there is no easy solution. That economic dependence on the oil and gas industry, however, is not a license for politicians to look the other way (or worse), nor is it an excuse for the industry to act recklessly.
You've got lots of BP in this, more than anything else I've seen, including news stories. Was access difficult?
I felt that it was very important to tell a complete and balanced story. One-sided diatribes only serve to preach to the converted. Therefore, we worked very hard throughout the production period to get BP's point of view in the film. They took a long time -- almost six months I believe -- before they agreed. In fact, they agreed to be in the film really at the very end of our production window, so they almost did not make it into the film. To their credit, they gave us some pretty good access. Considering I am the guy who made the movie “Crude,” about the 17-year Ecuadorian indigenous struggle to hold Chevron responsible for pollution in the Amazon rain forest, and that during the period we were making “Black Tide” I was still embroiled in a very high profile First Amendment battle with Chevron over the outtakes to “Crude,” I am actually surprised they agreed to be in the film. Therefore, I give them a lot of credit for that. (If you’re unfamiliar with “Crude” and the First Amendment battle, go to www.crudethemovie.com.)
Had you spent much time in the Gulf or in Louisiana before this project?
I have shot during Mardi Gras several times and I filmed shortly after Katrina for other projects, but I have never actually witnessed the Gulf Coast before -- places like Bay Jimmy and Grand Isle. I was stunned by the natural beauty, and by the tremendous man-made coastal erosion caused by the oil and gas industry and by the resilience of the people.
How did this project come to you?
Animal Planet liked my film “Crude” and wanted to do something about the Gulf spill. We all decided that focusing on the plight of a cross section of residents and taking a non-partisan presentation of the complexities would provide a unique approach. I also was personally dismayed that the national media kind of packed up and moved on to the next disaster, falsely leaving the impression that everything was back to normal, which clearly it is not. I wanted to move beyond the finger-pointing and put a human face on the tragedy in the hope of inspiring people to do the right thing.
When did you start? When was it wrapped?
We began shooting in July 2010, without having fully committed to the project -- taking several shooting/research trips down to the region over the summer to see if we thought we could make a film that added to the story instead of just repeating what had already aired. By the fall, when I realized no one was really telling the story of the long-term impacts and about the economic realities of these two industries being so entwined with the fate of Louisiana did I feel like we could make a worthy two-hour film. I want to credit the producer Jay Heyman and our story producer Sara Enright for really cracking the nut on a lot of these stories.
Did you watch the coverage of the spill, as many did, with a feeling of helplessness? And was that a part of your motivation to do the film?
After having come off of my film “Crude,” in which I witnessed devastating oil pollution in such a delicate and ecologically important environment as the Amazon Rainforest, I was absolutely nauseous when the spill happened and then went on for so long -- truly sick to my stomach. I kept thinking, "Gee, I am brushing my teeth and the oil is still gushing.” “Gee, I am having dinner the next week and the oil is still gushing.” I thought about it constantly while it was happening, feeling helpless and angry -- angry at our addiction to oil and angry at the response to the spill. Basically I felt not enough was being done and the country was being apathetic to this tragedy. So I naturally felt that what I could do to help was to make a film.
Do you have a favorite sequence? A sequence that was difficult to execute that turned out well? Have you screened the film for any of the participants?
When Dr. Joye tears up about remembering seeing dolphins when the region was healthy brings tears to my eyes as well. We have no right to destroy the environment of the other creatures inhabiting this planet for our own selfish needs. I was also quite disturbed to have seen just how much oil remained in the marshes when I filmed Bay Jimmy in early May of this year with BP, despite the on-going clean up efforts. This spill is clearly a problem that is going to need ongoing attention. A James Carville says in the show, everybody was just a little too quick to pat themselves on the back and say the job of cleanup and restoration is done. We did send DVDs to participants and got back very positive feedback from people.
What are your personal conclusions about the future of the Gulf and the industries highlighted?
I think we are destroying the earth through our addiction to oil and if we really had the collective will and long-term concern about the future of the planet and the next generation, we would get off of oil. I am emailing you my answers from this amazing thing called an iPhone from a film shoot in South Africa. The fact that we have developed these amazing communication devices in the last few years enabling such connectedness tells me that if we put our minds to it and put economic gain aside, we could certainly figure out how to replace a fuel source that is a century old, and the polluting technology of the internal combustion engine. However, as I myself learned, this would wreak economic havoc on many of the individuals living in this vital and precious Gulf region. I personally don't know how to reconcile those two conflicting needs, but I know we have to.
Dave Walker can be reached at dwalker@timespicayune.com or 504.826.3429. Read more TV coverage at NOLA.com/tv. Follow him at twitter.com/davewalkertp.
Thanks-Stay Metal, Stay Brutal-\m/ -l-
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