Showtime Documentary Films said Tuesday that it will premiere its new documentary 16 Shots, an examination of the 2014 shooting of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald by Chicago police officer Jason Van Dyke and the cover-up that ensued, on June 14 at 9 PM.
The pic is from Richard Rowley, whose Dirty Wars was nominated for a Feature Documentary Oscar in 2014. He also serves as cinematographer on many of his projects including docuseries America Divided and Documenting Hate: Charlottesville.
Rowley’s 16 Shots dissects the aftermath of the McDonald shooting through first-hand witness accounts. After the police initially declared the shooting as justified, journalists and activists fought for footage to be released, causing turmoil within the Chicago PD and local Chicago government officials. Van Dyke was eventually convicted, further fracturing the city’s political landscape.
“The shooting of Laquan McDonald tore up Chicago in ways the city is still processing today,” said Vinnie Malhotra, EVP Nonfiction Programming at Showtime. “With 16 Shots, Rick Rowley and his team deliver an unflinching and deep look at one of the most notorious police shootings in our history.”
The docu is from Midnight Productions, Topic Studios, Impact Partners and Chicago Media Project. Jacqueline Soohen, Michael Bloom, Lisa Leingang, Dan Cogan, Jenny Raskin, Geralyn White Dreyfous, Ken Nolan and Brian Kenney are executive producers.
Here’s the trailer:
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