Ramsey Denison

Last updated
Ramsey Denison
Born
Ramsey G. Denison

Bellingham, Washington, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
Occupation(s)Filmmaker, director, producer, editor
Years active2005-present
Notable workWhat Happened in Vegas
Parent(s)Tom Denison
Carolyn Denison

Ramsey Denison is a director, producer, editor and documentary filmmaker who is best known for his critically acclaimed documentary What Happened in Vegas, which went to #1 on iTunes documentary charts in June 2018.

Contents

Early life and education

Denison was born in Bellingham, Washington, to parents Tom Denison, a shop teacher, and Carolyn Denison, an educator. He grew up in Satellite Beach, Florida, [1] and graduated with the class of 1997 from Satellite High School. [2] He received a journalism degree from Eastern Washington University. [3]

Career

At 18, Denison went to work for WBCC-TV in Cocoa, Florida. [1] By 2004, he moved to Los Angeles, and the following year was hired as an assistant editor on TV documentaries and reality shows, [4] including Catfish: The TV Show, The Hills Have Eyes, High School Musical 2, Sky High and The Family Stone. [1]

A short film Somewhere in the City, written, directed and produced by Denison, screened at over 30 film festivals and won awards at Vail Film Festival, San Fernando Valley International Film Festival, and Berkeley Film and Video Festival. [5]

In 2013, Denison and a friend, Rhett Nielson, a former SWAT team videographer in Las Vegas, [6] traveled to Nevada on vacation. While there, Denison witnessed what he told the media was two officers being rough with a suspect. He placed a call to 911 asking that a supervisor respond to the scene. Instead, Denison was himself arrested and spent three days in the Clark County Detention Center. [7]

The arrest led to Denison developing the story into a documentary about police brutality. It resulted in his directorial debut of the full-length documentary, What Happened in Vegas, with its first screening at the 2017 Cinequest Film Festival. [8]

Los Angeles Times reviewer Michael Rechtshaffen wrote that What Happened in Vegas "blows the whistle on a disturbing pattern of excessive force and corruption within its ranks." [9] The Village Voice opined that issues Denison uncovers within the police department "serve as a warning to all Americans." [10] Daphne Howland in LA Weekly' noted that "What Happened in Vegas is more than a revenge project. He unveils a pattern of police malfeasance, including coverups and lies, through disturbing stories of unjustified deaths. It’s a damning takedown of the city’s powers that be." [11]

The film also screened at the FreedomFest conference at the Paris Las Vegas hotel-casino in July 2017 [12] where it won the Grand Jury Prize and went to #1 on iTunes documentary chart in June 2018. [9]

Denison and another filmmaker, Charlie Minn, each accused the Eclipse Theater in Las Vegas of failing to screen their movies because their films are critical of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. [13]

What Happened in Vegas prompted Denison's probe into the 2017 mass shooting at the Mandalay Bay Resort in Las Vegas, where 59 people were killed, [14] for a second documentary. It is titled Money Machine, with screenings at American Documentary and Animation Film Festival in March 2020 and Cleveland International Film Festival. [15]

Awards

In 2017, Denison received the best documentary award at the 2017 Las Vegas Black Film Festival for What Happened in Vegas. [12]

What Happened in Vegas was awarded ta Grand Jury Prize at Freedom Fest in 2017. [12]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 "Ramsey Denison". IMDb. Retrieved Feb 15, 2020.
  2. ↑ "SHS-1997 Graduates -- Part A". Florida Today. May 13, 1997. p. 51. Retrieved Feb 15, 2020– via newspapers.com.
  3. ↑ Palpant, Andrea (February 12, 2001). "Indie Auteurs Unite". Inlander. Retrieved Feb 29, 2020.
  4. ↑ "Movies - What Happened in Vegas". LA Weekly. Nov 30, 2017.
  5. ↑ "Real to Reel 2007". www.ccartscouncil.org. Retrieved Feb 15, 2020.
  6. ↑ DeFore, John (30 November 2017). "What Happened in Vegas: Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved Feb 15, 2020.
  7. ↑ "Review: Documentary 'What Happened in Vegas' blows the whistle on local police". Los Angeles Times. Nov 30, 2017. Retrieved Feb 15, 2020.
  8. ↑ Erbland, Kate (Mar 2, 2017). "What Happened in Vegas Exclusive Trailer: Incendiary Documentary Explores Police Corruption and Brutality in Sin City — Watch". IndieWire. Retrieved Feb 15, 2020.
  9. 1 2 Rechtshaffen, Michael (Nov 30, 2017). "Review: Documentary 'What Happened in Vegas' blows the whistle on local police". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved Feb 15, 2020.
  10. ↑ Rowland, Daphne (22 November 2017). "A Filmmaker Reported Police Brutality in Las Vegas. So the Cops Arrested Him". Village Voice. Retrieved Feb 15, 2020.
  11. ↑ "Reporting Police Brutality Spurred Director to Make WHat Happened In Vegas" (PDF). LA Weekly. December 1, 2017.
  12. 1 2 3 Juhl, Wesley (Jul 22, 2017). "Mother of man who died in police custody speaks at film screening". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved Feb 15, 2020.
  13. ↑ Herbets, Adam. "Eclipse Theater pulls two Las Vegas shooting documentaries away from lineup". FOX5 Las Vegas. Retrieved Feb 15, 2020.
  14. ↑ "What Happened in Vegas, Director Ramsey Denison - Film School Radio hosted by Mike Kaspar". December 2017. Retrieved Feb 15, 2020.
  15. ↑ "2020 FILMS I-M". www.amdocfilmfest.com. Retrieved Feb 25, 2020.
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