LONG SHOT
Documentary, 40 min
In Jacob LaMendola’s LONG SHOT, a young Latino man faces the death penalty for a murder he didn’t commit. The puzzle of his defense hinges on a Dodgers game, a Curb Your Enthusiasm episode, and an indefatigable lawyer who exposes the racial biases and failings of detectives all too eager to close a case.
Five years in the making, LONG SHOT premiered at the 2017 Telluride Film Festival. Asked for something that sticks out from the festivals lineup, TFF executive director Julie Huntsinger sprung not for one of the glossier titles on offer, but rather a “short-ish” documentary.
“One thing that’s a real treat is a Netflix doc called ‘Long Shot,'” she said. “It blew me away. It has Larry David, some stunning twists of fate, and it’s told in the warmest, most humanistic way. That’s a movie that I will probably watch a good couple of times before the end of my life.”
LONG SHOT was released at a Netflix Original Documentary and went on to receive critical acclaim including an Emmy and IDA Nomination for Best Documentary Short.