The Matthew Shepard Story (2002)

Openly gay college student Matthew Shepard (Shane Meier) was murdered in an act of a hate crime with a senseless violence and such cruelty that attracted global attention. His death has changed the whole world forever.

Director:

Roger Spottiswoode

Writers:

John Wierick, Jacob Krueger

Stars:

Stockard Channing, Shane Meier, Wendy Crewson

Won 1 Primetime Emmy. Another 5 wins & 5 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 (Shane Meier) was robbed, viciously beaten, and left tied to a fence to die. Although he was soon found by the Police and hospitalized, he soon died. This movie 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 (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 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 ...

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Plot Keywords:

character name as title | matthew shepard character | four word title | death penalty | trial | 

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Taglines:

A hate crime that forever changed the nation.

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

TV-14

Did You Know?

Trivia

Despite the fact it was based on a true story that happened on October 1998 which forever changed the world, some details have been altered.The real Judy Shepard, Matt's mom, is a blonde, not a brunette; and Matt's best friend Romaine was an Asian-American girl.

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Quotes

Matthew Shepard: I'm gay, Dad.

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Connections

Version of Anatomy of a Hate Crime (2001)

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Soundtracks

Matthew Songs
Written, Performed and Produced by Jim Huff
Published by Coehill Entertainment

User Reviews

Humanity wins

The subject matter of this film was fairly abstract to me until I saw this film. You read the story of the murder and the trial, but somehow you don't get a clear picture of what really happened.

This is a heart breaking film. Some of us tend to judge America by its awful Capital Punishment laws, its brutality, its terrible president and we can forget that there are people working against these horrors. It is people like Stockard Channing and if my eyes didn't deceive me Goldie Hawn (executive producer) who can help make you reconsider what is happening there.

What was on trial in this film was humanity itself and against all the odds humanity won over. Lets hope that George Bush and his reactionary government will accidentally see this film one night when they have something better to do. That's my fantasy and like the film's ultimate hope I'll stick to it.

Details

Country:

Canada USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

4 June 2006 (Sweden)

Also Known As:

The Matthew Shepard Story

Filming Locations:

Future Bistro, 483 Bloor St W, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Company Credits

Production Co:

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

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1