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At the Death House Door follows the remarkable career journey of Carroll Pickett, who served 15 years as the death house chaplain to the infamous "Walls" prison unit in Huntsville, Texas. During that time he presided over 95 executions, including the very first lethal injection done anywhere in the world. After each execution, Pickett recorded an audiotape account of that fateful day. The film also tells the story of Carlos De Luna, a convict whose execution affected Pickett more than any other. Pickett firmly believed the man was innocent and two Chicago Tribune reporters turn up evidence that strongly suggests he was right.

At the Death House Door marks the first time the filmmaking team of Steve James and Peter Gilbert have produced and directed a film together. They began their filmmaking partnership on the landmark Kartemquin documentary, Hoop Dreams, on which James was producer and director and Gilbert served as producer and director of photography. A Kartemquin Films production for the Independent Film Channel.

94 minutes

Video

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More buzz about Death House Door

June 23, 2009

Haven't quite made up your mind about that At the Death House Door DVD purchase? You can check out more reviews at The Daily Page and Austin 360. Or read this blog post from Lispeery about Stevie, another Kartemquin release from Director Steve James.

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Filmmakers

Director
Steve James
Peter Gilbert
Producer
Peter Gilbert
Steve James
Executive Producer
Gordon Quinn
Christine Lubrano
Debbie DeMontreux
Evan Shapiro
Alison Bourke

and 6 more

Press

"An impassioned portrait of a quest for truth."

—Loren King, Chicago Tribune

and 4 more

Distinctions

South by Southwest – Spotlight Premiere, 2008

Full Frame Film Festival – Inspiration Award, 2008

Atlanta Film Festival – Best Documentary Feature, 2008

IDFA – Finalist for Human Rights Award, 2008

and 23 more