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Award-winning documentary to show at BUEI

Hard-hitting film: Lucia McBath, the mother of Jordan Davis, in a scene from ‘3½ Minutes, Ten Bullets’ (Photograph supplied)

A documentary that won a Special Jury Award for Social Impact at the Sundance Film Festival is to screen in Bermuda on Sunday.

3½ Minutes, Ten Bullets will show in the Tradewinds Auditorium of the Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute at 5.15pm.

It will be preceded at 3pm by the repeat screening of 45 Years, the award-winning British drama. The first screening of 45 Years was sold out.

In addition to the Sundance award, 3½ Minutes, Ten Bullets won the Audience Award at the River Run Film Festival in North Carolina and was named one of the top ten films of 2015 by the African-American Film Critics Association.

On Black Friday 2012, four African-American teenagers stopped at a gas station to buy gum and cigarettes. One of them, Jordan Davis, argued with Michael Dunn, a white man parked beside them, over the volume of music playing in their car.

The altercation turned to tragedy when Dunn fired ten bullets at the unarmed teens, killing Davis almost instantly.

This seamlessly constructed, riveting documentary explores the danger and subjectivity of Florida’s ‘Stand Your Ground’ self-defence laws by weaving Dunn’s trial with a chorus of citizen and pundit opinions, and with Jordan Davis’ parents’ wrenching experiences in and out of the courtroom.

This intimate story of unnecessary loss in the face of insidious racism promotes seeing one another as human beings, with the hope that compassion will lessen the inevitability of racial bias, disparity and violence.

The film was rated ‘15’ in the United Kingdom.

Screening at 3pm, 45 Years is a richly intimate and explosive drama by director Andrew Haigh. While preparing for their 45th anniversary, Kate and Geoff Mercer’s marriage is shaken with a discovery that calls into question the life they’ve built together. As the celebrations grow closer, they delve further into their past, leaving their future in question.

The film won the Best British Feature Film award at the Edinburgh International Film Festival, and was nominated for Best British Film at this year’s British Film Awards. The film is rated ‘R’.

Tickets for both films are on sale now at the Oceans Gift Shop, BUEI, or by calling 294-0204. Trailers of the films can be viewed at www.bermudadocs.com.