The 2015 Garrett Scott Documentary Development Grant has been awarded to Ted Passon for The Trial of Mumia Abu-Jamal and to Elisa Haradon and Gabriel Miller for Sweetheart Deal. The recipients will present short excerpts from their works-in-progress prior to the screening of (T)ERROR, directed by David Felix Sutcliffe and 2013 grant recipient Lyric R. Cabral.

Sweetheart Deal

Elisa Haradon, Gabriel Miller

In Seattle, three women struggling with heroin addiction find solace, care, and support in the form of one man. His charity, unsurprising to the women but shocking nonetheless, does not come without a heavy price. Shot with intimate access to the women and their families, this verité film exposes the cruel day-to-day life on the streets and difficulties of finding help for survivors of abuse and addiction.

The Trial of Mumia Abu-Jamal

Ted Passon

In 1981, a journalist and former Black Panther was found bleeding from a gunshot wound next to the body of a young white Philadelphia police officer. The Trial of Mumia Abu-Jamal brings to life the courtroom drama of the most contested and divisive death row case in modern American history. New discoveries, unearthed footage, and animated court transcript recreations show us the impact that heated emotions, divided across racial lines, have on the criminal justice system. This bold new look at an old story examines how the system is as fallible as we are, and how justice often hangs on the shoulders of complicated human beings seeking simple answers.