Sundance: HBO Acquires ‘3 1/2 Minutes’ Doc on Jordan Davis Shooting
HBO has licensed U.S. television rights to director Marc Silver’s “3 1/2 Minutes,” following its premiere in documentary competition at the Sundance Film Festival.
The film centers on the 2012 shooting death of black teenager Jordan Davis at a Florida gas station and the subsequent trial of his killer, Michael Dunn.
HBO will air the film in the fall after its theatrical release.
“I am grieved that these continuing stories are everyday matters swept away,” said Sheila Nevins, president of HBO Documentary Films. “By bringing this powerful film to HBO audiences, we hope to elevate the national conversation around these tragic issues.”
“3 1/2″ Minutes” is a production of the Filmmaker Fund / Motto Pictures, in association with Lakehouse Films and Actual Films. Producers are Carolyn Hepburn and Minette Nelson. Executive producers are Orlando Bagwell, Bonni Cohen, Julie Goldman and Participant Media’s Jeff Skoll and Diane Weyermann.
The deal was negotiated by HBO, Josh Braun at Submarine, and Jeff Ivers at Participant Media.
The Jordan Davis shooting took place after Dunn, a white middle-aged male, and Davis exchanged angry words over the volume of the music in Davis’ car. Dunn fired 10 bullets at a car full of unarmed teenagers and then fled. Dunn was arrested the next day and claimed he shot in self-defense.
He was convicted on three counts of attempted second-degree murder for firing at three other teenagers who were with Davis, and one count of firing into a vehicle. He was sentenced in October to life without parole.
“Following the incredible response ‘3 1/2 Minutes’ received at Sundance, I am thrilled that HBO is joining with Participant to bring Marc Silver’s devastating, dramatic, and all-too-timely documentary to a wider audience,” Weyermann, Participant’s exec VP of documentary film, said in a statement.
“When we started this journey, our aim was make sure that Jordan’s story was not going to be forgotten, that he would not become a statistic in an increasingly violent world; this is why we are so fortunate to be partnering with HBO and Participant Media for the distribution of ‘3 1/2 Minutes.’” Silver added. “We are now certain that Jordan’s story will reach the widest, most diverse audience possible.”
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