The Matthew Shepard Story (2002)

Based on the true story of openly gay college student Matthew Shepard killed in an act of a hate crime by senseless violence and such cruelty that attracted global attention.Matthew's tragic death back in 1998 soon 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 & 4 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:

death penalty | trial | tied to a fence | hate | death | 

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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

Details

Country:

Canada USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

4 June 2006 (Sweden)

Also Known As:

Die 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

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Based on a true story.

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Quotes

Matthew Shepard: I'm gay, Dad.

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Connections

Version of The Laramie Project (2002)

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Soundtracks

Lonesome World
Written and Performed by Paul Kass
Published by Ocean Ridge Music
Courtesy of Parry Music Library

User Reviews

Preaching to the choir?

I can only hope that at least a few people who were not familiar with the case saw this thought provoking accurate portayal of a horrendous hateful act and its aftermath. As usual, Sam Watterston and Stockard Channing did an excellent job portraying the grieving parents. Any parent should relate to the turmoil, self-blame and general heart break that Judy and Dennis Shepard went through during that horrible period of time. Also, the agony that Dennis Shepard endured before he finally made his last minute decision about the death penalty was extremely well-done. I hope this movie will pave the way for others like it and and hopefully change the minds of some who might be "on the fence" regarding hate crime legislation.