16 Shots

Film / TVRace

laquan mcdonald’s death gets documentary treatment in ’16 shots’

May 16, 2019
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The killing of Chicago teen Laquan McDonald and the subsequent cover-up by police is one of the starkest examples of police corruption we have in the modern day. And a new Showtime documentary film, 16 Shots, by Academy Award-nominated director Richard Rowley is centered around his story.

“After police initially declared the shooting as justified, journalists and activists fought for footage of the event to be released, sending the Chicago Police Department and local Chicago government officials into upheaval as the community demanded justice. Rowley’s film dissects the cover-up through first-hand witness accounts which led to the unprecedented conviction that fractured the political landscape of Chicago.”

Rowley’s Dirty Wars documentary was highly acclaimed, earning him a nomination for Best Documentary Feature at the Academy Awards. He is also a Sundance Film Festival winning cinematographer for his work on doc-series America Divided and Documenting Hate: Charlottesville.

“The shooting of Laquan McDonald tore up Chicago in ways the city is still processing today,” said Vinnie Malhotra , Executive Vice President, Nonfiction Programming, Showtime Networks Inc. “With 16 Shots, Rick Rowley and his team deliver an unflinching and deep look at one of the most notorious police shootings in our history.”

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