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The Movies
The Laramie Project (2002)
The Laramie Project, written and directed by Moises Kaufman, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January of 2002. The movie, which was based off the play written by Kaufman and the members of the Tectonic Theater Project, was broadcasted on HBO in March of the same year. The movie starred many big name actors such as Christina Ricci, Steve Bucscemi, Camryn Manheim, Bill Iriwn, Summer Phoenix, Joshua Jackson, Clea Duvall, and Janeane Garofalo.
This is the most well known and recognized movie based off of the murder of Matthew Shepard, possibly because it was written and directed by the primary author of the play. The movie was filmed in the actual town of Laramie, Wyoming. This differs from the actual play, merely some staging and video clips were used as visual representation of the town. Amy Tinger, author of "The Laramie Project: Western Pastoral", states that the scene of the movie looked "almost as if it were a cardboard Western set", and that the many shots of open prairie landscape emphasized the Western "aesthetic of death".
In the play, the actors in The Tectonic Theater Project would play both themselves and multiple of the townspeople that they interviewed, for the sake of practicality as well as a theatrical convention. However, in the movie, one actor played one character each. The original actors were replaced by big name actors. The original actors themselves usually played the different townspeople. Even some of the the actual townspeople were cast as extras in the film, such as Harry Woods, (the man who watched the parade for Shepard from his window), who played a member of the jury during the trial.
The Matthew Shepard Story (2002)
"The Matthew Shepard Story" was another take on the murder of Matthew Shepard that aired on NBC March 16th, 2002. It starred Shane Meier as Matthew and Sam Waterston as his father, and portrays his life and death as told by his mother, Judy (Stockard Channing). Unlike "The Laramie Project", this film was sanctioned by the Matthew Shepard's family.
The movie illuminates the decisions and hardships the Shepard family had to go through to decide whether or not Aaron McKinney should get the death penalty. It also sheds light on Matthew's life from junior high up until his death, including his first kiss and boyfriend and the rape he endured.
There was much controversy between HBO and NBC because movies both were scheduled to air on the same day. HBO accused NBC of trying to "torpedo" their film, however NBC insisted it was a coincidence. Consequentially, HBO moved their date a week earlier to March 9th. Although television companies squabbled, the producers of the movies were less concerned. Peter Cane, co-executive producer of "The Laramie Project", stated that they weren't concerned about both movies being shown, and that they were encouraging as many people to voice their opinion about the matter.
The last scene of "The Matthew Shepard Story". Dennis Shepard delivers an emotional speech at Aaron McKinney's trial
Laramie Inside Out (2004)
"Laramie Inside Out" was created by film-maker and Beverly Seckinger, a closet homosexual who went to college in Laramie twenty years before the murder of Matthew Shepard. The film explores Laramie's gay community after Matthew's murder, as well as the film-makers renewed relationship with the town. Along the way, she meets Baptist Church Reverent Fred Phelps (famous for the "God Hates Fags" scene) as well as many others.
Anatomy of a Hate Crime (2001)
"Anatomy of a Hate Crime" was a show that also told the story of the murder of Matthew Shepard in partnership with GLSEN (Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network). The show aired on MTV January 10th, 2001 to launch the year long Fight for your Rights: Take a Stand Against Discrimination campaign. After the show aired, MTV played eighteen commercial-free hours of celebrities reading different accounts of hate crimes.