1.Southwest of Salem
This follows the story of the San Antonio Four, four Latina lesbian women in Texas who were accused, and wrongfully convicted of gang raping two girls, aged seven and nine, in 1994. The accused were aged just 19, 20 and 21 and were sentenced to a collective 92 and a half years in prison for their alleged crimes.
The film fights to prove that the womens’ convictions came about due to bias against their sexual orientation. “As lesbian low income women of color, these women hold intersecting identities that make them the most vulnerable to incarceration and juror bias,” says director Deborah S. Esquenazi.
2. Tower
The story of the first mass school shooting in America. Tower, which premiered at SXSW film festival this year, is the terrifying true story of Charles Whitman, an ex-Marine, who climbed the tower on the University of Texas campus and shot 49 people, killing 16, in 1966.
Charles, who was later found to have a tumour on his brain, was a trained sniper and shot many of his victims from bonkers distances. Tower, directed by Keith Maitland, combines archived footage and animation to tell the story of that day when, as Keith says, “when the worst in one man brought out the best in so many others.” How’s that for a tagline?
3. Captive
Netflix’s next look at true crime. This eight-part series is set to look at delicate hostage situations around the world. According to Variety, “The episodes look at a wide range of situations from the viewpoint of everyone involved: the victims and their families back home, the negotiators, business leaders, government officials and the kidnappers.”
4. Entering Hades
This is miles off being done but it looks smashing. Rumoured to feature Michael Fassbender as the lead, Entering Hades is set to be the film version of the story of Jack Unterweger, an Australian journalist and minor celebrity who shocked the country when it emerged that he’d killed up to 11 prostitutes across several different continents.
5. Suspect
Suspect will cover Chillenden murders which occurred in 1996 when mum Lin Russell and her daughter Megan were murdered with a hammer in a bungled robbery attempt. Megan’s younger sister Josie was also attacked but survived. Michael Stone has been in prison for the crime since but maintains his innocence. Suspect is set to examine the evidence and take a look at whether he is indeed the right man.
6. JonBenet Ramsey
A huge sensation in the US, the murder of six-year-old beauty queen JonBenet Ramsey has never been solved. Although plenty of fingers have been pointed. This upcoming series on the murder and the subsequent investigation is set to air later this year.
7. Law & Order: True Crime – The Menendez Brothers Murders
The one everyone in America is talking about at the moment. Based on the murders committed by the handsome and wealthy Mendendez brothers, Law& Order: True Crime is set to be scripted like OJ Simpson: American Crime Story. In 1989 Lyle and Erik, 18 and 21, killed their parents in their Beverly Hills mansion. They are currently serving life without parole.
This article was originally published on The Debrief.
