AN
AN INDEPENDENT DOCUMENTARY FILMMAKER IS PURSUING STORIES THAT EXPLORE WRONGFUL
CONVICTIONS IN THE NAME
OF PROTECTING THE SOCIAL ORDER.
HER LATEST PROJECT IS A DEEP
DOVE INTO THE AMERICAN CRIMINAL
JUSTICE SYSTEM AND IT'S ALSO
CAPTURING THE ATTENTION OF A
WORLDWIDE AUDIENCE.
DIRECTOR AND FILMMAKER G.O.
WORTH IS WITH US LIVE TO TELL
US ABOUT CONVICTION.
WELCOME TO THE SHOW, GINA.
THANKS FOR HAVING ME, AUBREY.
>> FIRST OF ALL, I WANT TO KNOW
WHAT DREW YOU TO INVESTIGATE
WRONGFUL CONVICTIONS G K.
CAN YOU HEAR ME?
>> I SURE CAN.
CAN YOU HEAR ME?
>> WE LOST YOU FOR A SECOND.
BUT TELL US WHY DID YOU START
TO PURSUE THIS SUBJECT MATTER
WRONGFUL CONVICTIONS?
OH, YOU KNOW, I WAS REALLY
PASSIONATE ABOUT THIS CAUSE FOR
A LONG TIME IN MY YOU KNOW,
WHEN I WAS 19 OR 20 I READ THIS
BOOK BY RUBIN CARTER CALLED THE
16TH ROUND WHICH THE MOVIE 13
IS BASED ON THE DENZEL
WASHINGTON FILM.
AND THAT JUST REALLY GOT ME
HOOKED ON THIS CAUSE AND I FELT
REALLY PASSIONATE ABOUT IT.
AND THEN FAST FORWARD TO AROUND
TWENTY FIFTEEN THE SERIAL
PODCAST CAME OUT AND I HEARD
THAT STORY ABOUT THE SUBJECT
OF THE PODCAST ANON AND I
BELIEVED IN HIS INNOCENCE AND
THAT REALLY REINVIGORATED THIS
PASSION I HAD FOR DOING
SOMETHING FOR THIS CAUSE AND
THAT'S KIND OF WHAT GOT ME ON
THIS PATH.
WOW.
SO YOU HAVE YOUR DEBUT
DOCUMENTARY.
IT'S CALLED CONVICTION AND
YOU'VE ACTUALLY FOUND A LOT
OF SUCCESS ON THE FESTIVAL
CIRCUIT.
YOU WON A FEW AWARDS AND NOW
IT'S BEING SHARED WITH A LARGER
AUDIENCE ON AMAZON PRIME.
TELL A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT
CONVICTION.
>> YEAH, SURE.
CONVICTION IS THE STORY
OF JEFFREY DESKOVIC.
HE WAS A 16 YEAR OLD KID IN
PEEKSKILL, NEW YORK IN HIGH
SCHOOL AND UNFORTUNATELY IN A
VERY SAFE TOWN WHERE THERE
WASN'T VERY MUCH CRIME AT ALL
FOR DECADES.
THERE WAS A RAPE AND MURDER AND
THE GIRL THAT WAS KILLED WAS A
CLASSMATE OF JEFF'S AND WE
DIDN'T KNOW HER VERY WELL.
SHE WAS AN ACQUAINTANCE.
BUT WHAT ENDS HAPPENING IS THAT
DETECTIVES CAME AND QUESTIONED
STUDENTS AT THE SCHOOL AND SOME
OF THE STUDENTS HAPPENED TO
MENTION THAT JEFF WAS A QUIET
KID AND RESERVED AND TO TALK TO
HIM AND JUST THAT LITTLE BIT
OF INFORMATION TURNED THE
DETECTIVE'S ATTENTION ONTO JEFF
.
AND THEN OF COURSE, YOU KNOW,
HE WENT ON TO BE WRONGFULLY
CONVICTED OF THE CRIME.
>> WELL.
SO THERE'S QUITE A LOT PROBABLY
TO DIG INTO HIS STORY AND HOW
THAT ALL HAPPENED.
AND I UNDERSTAND THERE'S A
SACRAMENTO TIE.
THERE IS.
>> SO WHILE JEFF WAS
INCARCERATED, YOU KNOW,
OF COURSE IT WAS HE WAS IN THE
MAXIMUM SECURITY MALE PRISON AS
A 16 YEAR OLD AND IT WAS REALLY
HARD FOR HIM AND HE THOUGHT
ABOUT AND CONTEMPLATED AND EVEN
TRIED TO COMMIT SUICIDE.
AND WHAT GOT HIM THROUGH HE
SAID WAS A PEN PAL WHICH HE
HAPPENED TO CONNECT WITH
THROUGH AN AD IN THE SACRAMENTO
BEE.
AND THEY FORMED A FRIENDSHIP.
AND JEFF SAID THAT HE REALLY
GOT HIS NAME WAS SCOTT AND HE
GOT HIM THROUGH THIS TIME.
AND THE GREAT THING IS WHICH IS
SO HEARTWARMING IS THAT THEY
STILL KEEP IN TOUCH TODAY AND
THEY ACTUALLY HUNG OUT IN
SACRAMENTO JUST A COUPLE
OF MONTHS AGO.
WOW.
WELL, THAT'S A NICE ADDITION TO
THE STORY, YOU KNOW.
>> WHAT DO YOU HOPE THAT
AUDIENCES ARE TAKING AWAY AFTER
THEY WATCH YOUR DOCUMENTARY?
>> YOU KNOW, MY GOAL ORIGINALLY
WAS TO JUST SHED AWARENESS ON
THIS CAUSE BECAUSE I THINK A
LOT OF PEOPLE WHO AREN'T
PERSONALLY IMPACTED BY THIS
CAUSE DON'T REALLY THINK ABOUT
IT AS SOMETHING THAT SOME
IMPORTANT AND IT CAUSED ME TO
GET BEHIND.
BUT THE INNOCENCE PROJECT
ESTIMATES THAT THERE'S ABOUT
TWO AND A HALF TO FIVE PERCENT
OF PRISONERS IN THE US THAT ARE
WRONGFULLY CONVICTED.
AND SO THAT'S OVER ONE HUNDRED
AND TWENTY THOUSAND PEOPLE.
THERE'S A LOT OF PEOPLE AND I
JUST DON'T THINK CAUSES ON
PEOPLE'S RADAR.
AND I WANTED TO RAISE AWARENESS
FOR THAT.
NOW SINCE THE FILM HAS COME OUT
AND IT HAS BEEN RECEIVED REALLY
WELL.
I REALLY HOPE TO WORK ON THE
FILM IN THE FUTURE ABOUT
SOMEBODY WHO'S CURRENTLY
INCARCERATED SO THAT I CAN
EITHER AMPLIFY THEIR VOICE,
THEY CAN SHARE THEIR SIDE
OF THE STORY OR EVEN JUST THAT
OR IDEALLY DISCOVER NEW FACTS
IN THEIR CASE AND HELP THEM IN
ANY WAY THAT WE CAN.
I THINK IT'S GREAT THAT YOU'RE
HELPING SPREAD THE AWARENESS
AND THAT PEOPLE ARE TAKING
NOTICE.
>> AND YOU MENTIONED WHAT YOU
WANT TO DO NEXT AS FAR AS MAYBE
ANOTHER CASE.
BUT WHAT ARE YOU CURRENTLY
WORKING ON?
ARE THERE PLANS FOR A FOLLOW?
>> YES.
SO THE CONVICTION THE
DOCUMENTARY AND AMAZON PRIME IS
A SHORT IT'S JUST 21 MINUTES
LONG.
I AM JUST IN THE FINAL
POST-PRODUCTION STAGES OF THE
FEATURE LENGTH FILM OF JEFF'S
STORY.
AND SO AS A SHORT REALLY TALKS
ABOUT JEFF'S PERSONAL STRUGGLES
AND HOW HE REINTEGRATED INTO
,
, THE
, THE FEATURE LENGTH DOC GOES MUCH DEEPER INTO THE AMERICAN CRIMINAL JUSTICE
SYSTEM.
YOU KNOW WHAT WENT WRONG?
THERE WAS DNA IN JEFF'S CASE
THAT WASN'T ALLOWED TO BE
TESTED.
AND SO YOU KNOW, WHY DOES THAT
HAPPEN AND THE PSYCHOLOGY
OF WHY SOMEBODY WOULD CONFESS
TO A CRIME THEY DIDN'T COMMIT.
SO WE GO A LOT DEEPER INTO THE
DETAILS OF WHAT REALLY HAPPENED
TO CREATE THIS UNFORTUNATE
SITUATION.
AND I KNOW THESE TYPE
OF DOCUMENTARIES THEY DO GET A
LOT OF ATTENTION.
ANY DOCUMENTARIES IN PARTICULAR
THAT YOU REALLY ENJOYED THAT
MAYBE OTHER PEOPLE SHOULD WATCH
IF THEY LIKE THIS TYPE
OF SUBJECT MATTER?
>> WELL, THE ONE THAT I REALLY
LOVE WHICH MOST THE WORLD SEEMS
TO LOVE IS MAKING A MURDERER.
I SAW THAT A COMPELLING
DOCUMENT ISN'T GREAT.
YEAH, IT WAS VERY INTERESTING.
>> SO INTERESTING.
AND ALSO THE FILMMAKERS
FOLLOWED STEVEN AVERY'S CASE
FOR 10 YEARS.
SO JUST THAT IN OF ITSELF IS SO
FASCINATING TO ME THE AMOUNT
OF TIME THEY DEDICATED TO HIS
STORY AND ANOTHER ONE THAT I'M
NOT GOING TO GIVE AWAY THE
ENDING.
SO I WANT TO GIVE AWAY ANY
SPOILERS.
BUT THE JINX IS SO GREAT AND I
THINK THE THING THAT MAKES THAT
FILM IS THE OR THAT DOCU SERIES
IS THE FINAL SCENE IS THE VERY
END.
IT'S REALLY IT'S REALLY
SHOCKING.
I WON'T SAY WHAT IT IS.
OK, I GUESS I'LL HAVE TO TUNE
IN TO SEE IT.
>> AND I KNOW JULIA, YOU WERE
HERE IN NORTHERN CALIFORNIA IN
THE BAY AREA AND THEN YOU MOVED
TO NEW YORK AND THAT KIND
OF STARTED THIS WHOLE PATH FOR
YOU TO DO FILMMAKING.
>> YES, I DID.
>> I LIVED IN BEIRUT FOR 10
YEARS AND I LOVED IT THERE.
AND IT'S MY FATE MY HUSBAND'S
FAVORITE PLACE IN NEW YORK IS
MY FAVORITE PLACE.
WE KIND OF COMPROMISE AND LIVED
THERE FOR 10 YEARS.
THEN WE MOVED TO NEW YORK.
AND I'M SO GLAD I DID BECAUSE
THAT'S WHERE I ENDED UP
ATTENDING FILM ACADEMY.
THAT'S HOW I GOT INTO
FILMMAKING.
AND YOU KNOW THE REST YOU KNOW
ABOUT VERY NICE.
>> WELL, I LOVE THIS STORY AND
I WANT TO WATCH IT