The Matthew Shepard Story

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The Matthew Shepard Story
The-matthew-shepard-story-film.jpg
DVD cover
Written byJohn Wierick
Jacob Krueger
Directed by Roger Spottiswoode
Starring Shane Meier
Stockard Channing
Sam Waterston
Music by Jeff Danna
Mychael Danna
Country of originCanada
United States
Original languageEnglish
Production
ProducerClara George
Cinematography John Bartley
Editor Dominique Fortin
Running time88 minutes
Original release
Network NBC
ReleaseMarch 16, 2002 (2002-03-16)

The Matthew Shepard Story is a 2002 made-for-television film directed by Roger Spottiswoode, based on the true story of Matthew Shepard, a 21-year-old gay youth who was murdered in 1998. The film scenario written by John Wierick and Jacob Krueger, it starred Shane Meier as Matthew and Stockard Channing as Judy Shepard and Sam Waterston as Dennis Shepard.

Contents

Producers were Alliance Atlantis Communications, with the assistance/participation of CTV and Cosmic Entertainment, with support from the Cdn. Film or Video Production Tax Credit (CPTC). The film premiered on NBC on March 16, 2002, the same day HBO aired another Shepard film entitled The Laramie Project . The Matthew Shepard Story was also shown on CTV, with language versions shown in many countries.

Plot

In 1998, a young gay man by the name of Matthew Shepard (Shane Meier) was robbed, viciously beaten and left tied to a fence to die. Although he's found by the police, rescued and hospitalized, he dies from his injuries. This film recounts the events after the conviction of the two men responsible for this hate-motivated murder.

Matthew's parents, though satisfied by the conviction, are finding the sentencing phase of the trial more difficult. The parents initially want to request the death penalty for their son's murderers, but the mother, Judy Shepard (Stockard Channing), starts to reconsider. As they struggle with their decision, they decide to reexamine the life of their son and rediscover his personality, his struggle to accept his homosexuality as a natural part of his being and above all, his generous humanity to others. All of this leads the parents to appeal to the court the way their son would have wanted, not out of vengeance but to represent best of what their son was and the tragedy of his loss.

Cast

Awards and nominations

The film went on to win several awards and nominations for others: [1]

Awards
Nominations

Soundtrack

The film also contains soundtrack album with the following:

See also

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References