William Francome, a nicely brought up
middle-class white man, was born in England
on 9 December 1981. That same night, Mumia
Abu-Jamal was arrested for the murder of a
police officer in Philadelphia. He protested
his innocence, but was found guilty and
sentenced to death, and has been awaiting
execution ever since.
Over the years he has attracted massive
international support from figureheads such
as Nelson Mandela, and has become one the
most famous inmates of Death Row.
William grew up knowing about Mumia’s
situation, but shortly before his 25th birthday
he decided to take a more direct involvement
in the case. His journey took him into the heart
of the US judicial system, and brought him
face-to-face with some of the cultural
and political icons of a generation.
Director Marc Evans is respectful of the literally
life or death nature of the subject matter,
but presents it with energy and originality.
With passionate and moving contributions
from Alice Walker, Noam Chomsky and Mos
Def, and an interview with Mumia himself, this
timely film delivers new evidence to further
strengthen the case in Mumia’s defence.
Sandra Hebron,
London Film Festival Programme
