The Matthew Shepard Story

The Matthew Shepard Story Information

The Matthew Shepard Story is a 2002 award-winning Canadian-American television film by director Roger Spottiswoode based on the true story of Matthew Shepard, a 21-years-old gay youth who was murdered in 1998, victim of an anti-gay hate crime. The film scenario written by John Wierick and Jacob Krueger, it starred Shane Meier as Matthew and Stockard Channing as Judy and Sam Waterston as Dennis.

Producers were Alliance Atlantis Communications, Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit (CPTC) with the assistance of/with the participation of Canadian Television (CTV) and Cosmic Entertainment. The premiere was on 16 March 2002 on NBC, the same day HBO showed another Matthew Shepard film entitled The Laramie Project. The Matthew Shepard Story was also shown on CTV, with language versions show in many countries.

Synopsis

In 1998, a young gay man by the name of Matthew Shepard was robbed, viciously beaten and left tied to a fence to die. Although he was soon found by the police and hospitalized, he soon expired. This film recounts the events after the conviction of the two men responsible for this hate motivated murder.

Matthew's parents, though satisfied by the conviction, are finding the sentencing phase of the trial more difficult. The parents initially want to request the death penalty for their son's murderers, but the mother, Judy Shepard (Stockard Channing), starts to reconsider. As they struggle with their decision, they decide to reexamine the life of their son and rediscover his personality, his struggle to accept his homosexuality as a natural part of his being and above all, his generous humanity to others. All of this leads the parents to appeal to the court the way their son would have wanted, not out of vengeance but to represent best of what their son was and the tragedy of his loss.

Cast

Stockard Channing as Judy Shepard
Shane Meier as Matthew Shepard
Wendy Crewson as Sarah
Sam Waterston as Dennis Shepard
Kristen Thomson as Romaine Patterson
Joseph Ziegler as Cal
Yani Gellman as Pablo
Damien Atkins as Donny
Philip Eddolls as Aaron McKinney (as Philip Edolls)
Paul Robbins as Russell Henderson
Judah Katz as Defense Attorney
Drew Nelson as Lance
Nazneen Contractor as Shima
Makyla Smith as Casey
Lindsay Murrell as Matthew's Date
James Bearden as Protester
B.J. McLellan as Logan Shepard (age 17)
David Broadhurst as Logan Shepard (age 12)
Shawna Lori Burnett as Female Officer
John Henry Canavan as Painter
Bruce Beaton as Cowboy
Brian Frank as Neighbour
Sadie LeBlanc as Girlfriend
Jim Codrington as Health Food Store Manager
Dorothy Gordon as Elderly Woman
Susan Chuang as Female News Anchor
Richard Blackburn as Judge
Ray Kahnert as Minister
Patricia Carroll Brown as Angry Mourner
Dinah Watts as Cal's Secretary
Eduardo Gómez as Gomez (as Eduardo Gomez)
Scott McLaren as Drug Dealer
Derek Gilroy as Mike
Scott Wickware as Bartender

Awards and nominations

The film went on to win many awards and nominated for others:

Awards

"Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role" for Shane Meier as Matthew Shepard at the 2003 Los Angeles Outfest
Primetime Emmy Award in 2002 for "Best Supporting Actress in a TV Movie or Miniseries" for Stockard Channing for her role as Judy Shepard
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries at the 2003 Screen Actors Guild Awards for Stockard Channing.
Sam Waterston won a Gemini Award for "Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Supporting Role in a Dramatic Program or Mini-Series".
The writers John Wierick and Jacob Krueger won the Paul Selvin Honorary Award given by Writers Guild of America

Nominations

Outstanding Television Movie at the 2003 GLAAD Media Awards
"Best Writing in a Dramatic Program or Mini-Series" for writers Jacob Krueger and John Wierick at the 2003 Gemini Awards
"Best Performance by an Actress in a Miniseries or a Motion Picture Made for Television" for Stockard Channing at the 2003 Satellite Awards

Soundtrack

The film also contains soundtrack album with the following:

"Matthew Songs" - Written, performed and produced by Jim Huff (Coehill Entertainment)
"El Burkan" - Written by Hossam Ramzy, published by JW Media Music Ltd (Morning Music Limited)
"I Keep Holdin' On" - Written by T. Leonard and A. Lerman, performed by Fathead
"Lonesome World" - Written and performed by Paul Kass, published by Ocean Ridge Music (Parry Music Library)
"Good Vibration" - Written by Mladen Borosak and Tom Barlow, performed by Twigg
"Naked in the Water" - Written and performed by Michaela Foster Marsh (Kavanaugh Music)
"Shine" - Written Rob Garnder, Kadru Gardner and Mike Thibeau, performed by Electrostatic (Courtesy of Electrostatic Music by arrangement with PEN Music Group, Inc)
"I Want You to Fall" - Written and performed by Monica Schroeder (Night Sky Records)
"Get You Some" - Written by Robert J. Walsh, Ron Chick, Dennis Winslow (FirstCom Music, Inc)
"Edge of a Dream" - Written by Billy Livesay and David Graham, performed by Billy Livesay
"Who'll Hold On" - Written and performed by Adam Daniel, published by APG Music and Ash Peipers Music Publishing (APG Music)
"American Triangle" - Written by Elton John and Bernie Taupin, performed by Elton John, published by WB Music Corp (Happenstance Limited and Wretched Music, courtesy of Universal Music)
"What Matters" - Written and performed by Randi Driscoll, published by Swim Swam Swum Music (Dramatique Records)