Life After Manson
A film by Olivia Klaus
US | 2014 | 25 minutes | Color/BW | DVD | Order No. 151160
SYNOPSIS
Life After Manson is an intimate portrait of one of the world’s most infamous crimes and notorious killers. At 21 years old, Patricia Krenwinkel callously murdered three people at the command of Charles Manson. Now 66 years old, she continues to be demonized by the public and haunted by the suffering she caused over four decades ago. Through an exclusive interview with and never before seen footage of Krenwinkel, filmmaker Olivia Klaus (SIN BY SILENCE), frames a historically irreconcilable story through a complex emotional lens, offering insight into what led a suburban girl to commit crimes the world will never forget. A provocative and powerful character study, LIFE AFTER MANSON reveals a broken woman struggling with her past, her arduous effort to evaluate the cost of her choices, and the possibility of self-forgiveness.
PRESS
"A great teaching tool to begin to understand how, and under what circumstances, a woman could commit such and appaling crime. This film is a must for courses in Criminology, criminal justice, women and crime, psychology and sociology."
"Using a masterful combination of modern shots, dramatization, archival footage, photographs and firsthand interviews, Klaus gave a fresh perspective on Krenwinkel that allowed the audience to feel for the person and not focus on the act."
"This film reveals the unexpected – how the most unlikely inmate could be the symbol of rehabilitation, resilience and survival. Patricia breaks the mold about the mystique of women in prison, to provide an incredible resource that showcases a journey of reflection from behind bars to create a life of meaning, against all odds."
"The conclusion to the social and cultural upheavals of the 1960’s.."
"...an emotional account..."
"...reflective and intimate, well-shot and directed"
"...a masterfully and beautifully shot film..."
*** "...Krenwinkel explains how she fell under the sway of Charles Manson. A sobering portrait, this is recommended."
SCREENING HIGHLIGHTS AND AWARDS
- DocUtah, Best Short Film
- Montreal World Film Festival
- Rhode Island International Film Festival
- New Orleans Film Festival
- Seattle International Film Festival
- Citizen Jane Film Festival
- Starz Denver Film Festival
- Tribeca Film Festival
- St. Louis Film Festival
- San Francisco Intl Festival of Short Films
- DocAviv
- Arizona Underground Film Festival
ABOUT FILMMAKER(S)
Olivia Klaus
Olivia Klaus is an award-winning documentary filmmaker who passionately believes in the power of visual stories to create positive social change. Her work has been seen on various networks like CNN, Discovery, MTV and The History Channel. SIN BY SILENCE, her directorial debut in 2009, went on to win numerous film festival and advocacy awards, and highlighted by People Magazine, NPR, HLN, and The Insider before being broadcasted on Investigation Discovery to over 2.5 million viewers. The film went on to inspire unprecedented legislation in California based on the documentary to improve the paths to freedom for nearly 7,000 currently incarcerated domestic violence victims who have spent decades behind bars. In 2014, she premiered her second film LIFE AFTER MANSON at the Tribeca Film Festival and an excerpt was featured on the prestigious New York Times Op-Docs series. Her producer/consultant credits include the Netflix Original LESSONS FROM A SCHOOL SHOOTING, the 2016 Sundance film NEWTOWN, 2020 Sundance film US KIDS, and Emmy-nominated BRAVE MISS WORLD. She is also the Creative Director at Orange Static - a multimedia agency specializing in documentary film websites.
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Four Wives – One Man
From Nahid Persson, the filmmaker of the award-winning Prostitution Behind the Veil, comes an intimate portrait of a polygamist family in a rural Iranian village. Persson reveals the intricacies of the relationships between the four wives, their husband, their astoundingly free-spoken mother-in-law and their numerous children. Sometimes humorous and often heartbreaking, this film follows the daily lives of the wives whose situation has turned them into both bitter rivals and co-conspirators against their abusive husband.
Persson’s camera unobtrusively and beautifully captures the range of the family’s interactions – from peaceful, pastoral scenes of a family picnic, to the temporary chaos caused by a broken faucet in the kitchen, to a furtive, whispered conversation between two wives about the latest beating. The women’s work – making bread, weaving carpets, milking and herding the sheep – provide the background to their frank conversations. Avoiding sensationalism and sentimentality, this film provides unique insights into the practice of polygamy and its effect on the women involved.
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