‘There are films about the death penalty—and then there are cinematic interventions. The Window on Death Row, the Oscar-qualifying documentary directed by Linda Freund, refuses to abide by the true-crime formula we’ve become culturally numbed by. Instead of feeding our appetite for carnage, voyeurism, or moral puzzle-solving, Freund offers something startlingly absent in most stories about capital punishment: spiritual inquiry, human dignity, and the radical possibility of forgiveness.‘

‘The Window on Death Row plays out like a real-world Shawshank Redemption. It provokes deeper questions and deeper thoughts about how we judge, and how we allow laws to enslave and murder those we deem worthy of such a penalty, but also how the same legal processes can see the innocent punished in a manner society would reserve for those it would seem despicable. This film looks beyond what we believe is right and good and true, showing that the reality of systems of control is frightening, because that persecuting eye can fall on the just and the unjust alike.‘

‘Mike Farrell, the actor, producer and human rights advocate best known for playing Captain B.J. Hunnicutt on “M*A*S*H*” has joined the award-winning documentary “The Window on Death Row” as an executive producer. Farrell joins the film after thirty-one years as the president of Death Penalty Focus, a non-profit dedicated to the abolition of the death penalty. He was attracted to the documentary for its “unusual, touching and very inspiring” subject, stating of Martínez’s journey, “The possibility of someone rising out of the depths of despair to become not only a thoughtful but a caring, gentle and humane human being is one of the beauties of this film. This film is really a prayer—one those who watch it will profit from.”‘

‘The Window on Death Row tells the story of Joaquín José Martínez, a Spanish citizen, who at the age of 24 was convicted of a double murder in the state of Florida. He spent the next five years behind bars, three of those on death row. With the help of the Spanish government and many of his countrymen, he was eventually exonerated of all charges against him. The case pitted the U.S. courts against that of the European Union and their ban on the death penalty. Nearly 20 years after his exoneration, Martínez transforms his personal trauma into public advocacy against the death penalty. Listen to our full interview with Director Linda Freund and Executive Producer Mike Farrell at cinemafilepod.com‘