Portland Screening of “At the Death House Door”

“At the Death House Door,” an important new documentary on the death penalty, will have a preview screening at the First United Methodist Church, 1838 SW Jefferson, Portland, on May 14th, at 7pm. This event is sponsored by Amnesty International Group 48 and is free and open to the public. Following the screening, Clarence Pugh from Oregonians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty and Matthew Rubenstein of the Oregon Capital Resource Center, will lead a discussion of the issues related to capital punishment in Oregon: lethal injection, wrongful conviction, the unlikely victims, the flaws in our criminal justice system.

At the Death House Door is a personal and intimate look at the death penalty in the state of Texas through the eyes of Pastor Carroll Pickett, who served 15 years as the death house chaplain to the infamous “Walls” prison unit in Huntsville and presided over 95 executions, including the world’s first lethal injection. After each execution, Pickett meticulously recorded an audiotape account of his trip to the death chamber.The film also focuses on the story of Carlos De Luna, a convict Pickett counseled and whose execution troubled him more than any other. Pickett firmly believed De Luna was innocent and the film tracks the investigative efforts of the Chicago Tribune reporters who turned up evidence that strongly supports he was wrongly executed.

At the Death House Door is co-directed and co-produced by Steve James and Peter Gilbert, who began their filmmaking partnership on the landmark documentary, Hoop Dreams, on which James was producer/director and Gilbert served as producer/director of photography.

There is currently a moratorium on executions in the United States while the Supreme Court considers the legality of lethal injection. In 2007, New Jersey became the first state in 40 years to abolish the death penalty. In early 2008, Nebraska outlawed use of the electric chair, calling the process inhumane. Once again, capital punishment has become a national conversation, with informal conversations about the death penalty occurring at thousands of dinner tables across the country.

At the Death House Door premieres on IFC Thursday, May 29 at 9:00pm PST

For more information about the Portland screening and discussion, please contact Terrie Rodello at 503-246-6836 tarodello AT igc DOT org

For more information on the film or to schedule interviews with Chaplain Pickett or the filmmakers contact Elektra Gray at EGRAY AT ifctv DOT com or 917 542 6339.