The People v. Leo Frank

FAIN: GN-50559-05

Filmmakers Collaborative, Inc. (Melrose, MA 02176-3933)
Ben Loeterman (Project Director: November 2004 to November 2006)

Scripting of a 90-minute television documentary that examines the 1913 Leo Frank case in Georgia as one of the pivotal events in the modern history of the American South.

THE PEOPLE v. LEO FRANK is a 90-minute documentary about one of the most significant criminal cases in American history: the 1913 murder of 13-year-old Mary Phagan in an Atlanta pencil factory, and the trial and lynching of her accused killer, Leo Frank. Set against the backdrop of an American South struggling to shed its legacy of bigotry and xenophobia, the story combines the intrigue of a first-rate murder mystery with poignantly drawn portraits of its central characters and a thoughtful examination of racial, religious, regional and class issues in the early years of the 20th Century. Using archival material, interviews and recreations, the film combines humanity themes and social history with a taut, dramatic story line.