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Justice Forum
Erlend E. Mo, Norway, 2009, 80 minutes
In the 1970s, the university city of Trondheim, Norway is shocked by the gruesome rape and murder of two young female students. A young TV journalist, Tore Sandberg, reports on the investigation, which eventually leads to the conviction of Fritz Moen, a severely disabled man.
30 years later, Fritz Moen is still in prison and Tore Sandberg, now a successful private investigator, specializes in solving miscarriages of justice. Moen’s case has nagged him for years and Tore starts to dig deeper, exposing lies and criminal negligence all the way up to the Supreme Court. But after 19 years of confinement, Fritz Moen is a broken man. Can Tore clear his name before he dies?
If Tore is a modern Sherlock Holmes, his Dr. Watson is the retired police chief, Frode Asbjørnsen. Years ago, he investigated Tore when Tore himself was under investigation. Now good friends, Frode is Tore’s complete opposite; he is spontaneous, bombastic, prejudiced and charming. Step by step, the dynamic duo shred through the glaringly inaccurate evidence presented by the prosecutors, and dig up evidence the police withheld. Together they stage re-enactments, both of the official police version of the events, as well as the most likely version according to all the evidence. The horrific real-life story and drama is pieced together bit by bit. Unfortunately, Fritz’s health is getting worse day by day.
Although the story has the same gripping tension as a mystery movie, unlike slick American TV investigators, Tore and Frode are very much real people. Through Tore’s stubbornness and meticulous nature, Frode’s irreverent attitude, and the director’s compelling visuals, we discover a very tragic real life drama in this classic suspense story.
North American Premiere
Honorary Mention, Norwegian Documentary Film Festival
Discussion to follow with:
Tamara Levy
UBC Law Innocence Project
Tamara Levy is the Director of the UBC Law Innocence Project, a clinical program at the UBC Faculty of Law in which students review claims of wrongful conviction in BC. Ms. Levy has worked as both defence and crown counsel, as an adjunct professor of Evidence at the UBC Faulty of Law and has been the Director of the Innocence Project at UBC since its inception in 2007.
“Criminal justice systems generally strive to protect the innocent and convict the guilty. However, criminal convictions are based on the testimony of people - police, civilian and expert witnesses. We rely on memory, truthfulness and scientific expertise. As long as each of those human characteristics is fallible, the possibility of error exists and the innocent may be wrongly convicted.”
Director’s biography
Norwegian born Erlend E. Mo has made numerous documentaries that have screened and won awards at festivals around the world. Paradise (2008), My Eyes (2006), Can You Die in Heaven? (2005), Welcome to Denmark (Best Documentary at the 2003 dense Film Festival in Denmark) and Forbidden Love (1998). He studied literature and Scandinavian languages at Oslo University, and film and TV at Volda University College. Mo has produced and directed for NRK’s and DR’s Children and Youth Department.
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