AUDIENCE FAVORITE AWARD - Mill Valley Film Festival | BEST DIRECTION - Toronto Documentary Film Festival
Criminal Justice • Prisoners' Rights • State Surveillance • Law & Society
Date of Completion: 2023 | Run Time: 84 minutes | Language: English & French with English & French subtitles | Captions: Yes | Includes: Transcript | Director: Catherine Masud | Producers: Abby Ginzberg & Catherine Masud | Cinematography: Gaetane Rousseau, Vicente Franco & Michael Santy | Editors: Ken Schneider & Louise Rubacky | Music: John Lissauer | Sound Design: Isaac Olsen & IMSRV Sound
August 21st, 1971 — On this day prisoners’ rights leader George Jackson allegedly attempts to break out of California's notorious San Quentin Prison. Three guards and two inmates are brutally murdered, and Jackson is shot dead. The violence shocks the nation and sets in motion a wave of unrest at other prisons. Caught in this storm is a young lawyer named Stephen Bingham. On August 21st, Bingham is the last outside visitor to see George Jackson before the violence erupts. A few days later, he is indicted on five counts of first-degree murder for allegedly passing a gun to Jackson during the visit. No other suspects are even considered, nor is any investigation conducted once they have identified Steve Bingham as the likely source. The FBI is determined to crack down on radical lawyers, who according to J. Edgar Hoover are “more dangerous than the people who throw bombs,” and it launches a major manhunt. A nationwide all-points bulletin (APB) is issued for Bingham’s arrest, but he is nowhere to be found.
For thirteen years, Bingham lives a shadowy existence under an assumed name, navigating a world of danger in a distant country even as he dreams of a return home to face his accusers and clear his name. As we follow his astonishing odyssey, A DOUBLE LIFE uncovers the dramatic twists and turns of his life trajectory, from his blue-blood Connecticut background to participation in the Mississippi Freedom Summer of ’64, from the hallowed halls of Yale to the dark corners of the California prison system, from activist attorney to fugitive from justice, and from shadowy exile to celebrity defendant. Through the lens of Bingham’s experience, and the revealing and often contradictory accounts of those around him, A DOUBLE LIFE unfolds the complex canvas of a turbulent era in American history. When he ultimately emerges from the depths of anonymity to face the very system he challenged, the documentary becomes a profound exploration of sacrifice, redemption, and the unyielding pursuit of justice.
Hollywood Progressive | Ed Rampell
"A bravura, stand-up-and-cheer documentary that’s not to be missed."
AWARDS
Audience Favorite Award | Mill Valley Film Festival
Best Direction | Toronto Documentary Film Festival
FESTIVALS
Pan-African Film Festival
NY Independent Film Festival