The Matthew Shepard Story (TV 2002)

Based on the true story of openly gay college student Matthew Shepard, killed in an act of senseless violence and cruelty, that attracted national attention.

Director:

Roger Spottiswoode

Writers:

John Wierick, Jacob Krueger

Stars:

Stockard Channing, Shane Meier, Wendy Crewson

Won 1 Primetime Emmy. Another 5 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Stockard Channing	...	Judy Shepard
Shane Meier	...	Matthew Shepard
Wendy Crewson	...	Sarah
Kristen Thomson	...	Romaine Patterson
Joseph Ziegler	...	Cal
Yani Gellman	...	Pablo
Sam Waterston	...	Dennis Shepard
Damien Atkins	...	Donny
Philip Eddolls	...	Aaron McKinney (as Philip Edolls)
Paul Robbins	...	Russell Henderson
Judah Katz	...	Defense Attorney
Drew Nelson	...	Lance
Nazneen Contractor	...	Shima
Makyla Smith	...	Casey
Lindsay Murrell	...	Matthew's Date

Storyline

In 1998, a young gay man by the name of Matthew Shepard was robbed, viciously beaten and left tied to a fence to die. Although he was soon found by the police and hospitalized, he soon expired. 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, 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 homosexual sexual orientation 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.

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Plot Keywords:

matthew shepard | death | homosexual | tragedy | murder | 

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Taglines:

A hate crime that forever changed the nation.

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

Canada USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

4 June 2006 (Sweden)

Also Known As:

L'affaire Matthew Shepard

Filming Locations:

Drumheller, Alberta, Canada

Company Credits

Production Co:

Alliance Atlantis Communications, Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit (CPTC), Canadian Television (CTV)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

88 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Version of The Laramie Project (2002)

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Soundtracks

"What Matters"
Written and Performed by Randi Driscoll
Published by Swim Swam Swum Music
Courtesy of Dramatique Records

User Reviews

Heartbreaking tale of hate and murder

I found this to be a very touching and moving movie with wonderful performances by all, however, I felt it would have been much better without all the grainy and artistic camera shots, and that the movie would have been more effective if told from the beginning to the end rather than jumping forward, back, forward, and showing so many flashbacks. It was beautiful and brave to show the kiss between Matthew and his friend, but they could have explored that relationship a bit more so that we could feel a little more like we knew something of Matthew's life. Overall, I think it was a very sad and scary tale of what hate and discrimination and prejudice can do to everyone when they get out of control. I seriously hope everyone will learn from the tragic tale of Matthew Sheppard's life and this movie.