Director:Maggie Burnette Stogner Producers: Maggie Burnette Stogner, Rick Stack
Description:
In the Executioner’s Shadow tackles tough issues of justice,
injustice, and capital punishment. It casts a penetrating look at the
consequences of the death penalty through three powerful personal
narratives. One pro. One con. And the rarely heard perspective of a
former executioner who reveals an astonishing story. The subject of this film, Jerry Givens, passed away from COVID-19 in April and this screening is dedicated to his memory.
Biography:
Maggie Burnette
Stogner has over 30 years of documentary filmmaking experience.
She is the founder and owner of Blue Bear Films, executive member of
Women in Film and Video, National Emmy judge of finalists in the Best
Documentary category, former CINE board member, and Golden Eagles
Distinguished judge. She directed, produced and wrote Gold
Mountain, a broadcast one-hour documentary about pioneering
Chinese in the Old West through the eyes of descendants. She was a
producer and senior producer of National Geographic’s award-winning
series, Explorer. She is a professor of film and media arts at
American University in Washington D.C.
Rick Stack’s professional life is dedicated to social justice. Working in the
Jackson County (MO) Public Defender’s Office, Rick has learned,
first-hand, just how many mistakes, large and small, are made daily
in a courthouse. In the late 1970’s, Rick’s research on global
resource issues brought him to Washington, DC, where he has held a
series of jobs devoted to fighting global and local hunger and
poverty. In the 1980’s, Rick became the Founding Executive Director
of the Capital Area Food Bank and the first Board Chair of the DC
Central Kitchen. In 1984, he developed and taught the course
“Politics of Hunger” as an adjunct instructor at American
University. Rick has written numerous journal articles and made many
conference presentations on social justice. His more recent books
draw from his experiences in the Public Defender’s
Office and years of service as a pro-bono communication strategist
for the National Coalition to the Abolish the Death Penalty. This
work applies theories of litigation public relations to influence
popular opinion about capital punishment.
