An American Tragedy

One man’s journey to death, another man’s journey to forgive.

a film by

Lisa Rhoden Boyd

Could you
forgive the man
who killed
your daughter?

Trailer

ABOUT

Death row inmate Jeffrey Ferguson pulled into a Mobil gas station on a chilly night in February 1989. The attendant Kelli Hall was dipping the tanks, closing up for the night. Mr. Ferguson was her last customer. She was never heard from again until her frozen body was discovered thirteen days later behind an abandoned barn in the snow covered fields of the Missouri Bottoms.

For 26 years the Hall Family has been waiting for justice to be served and for their daughter’s death to be vindicated. Now condemned prisoner Jeffrey Ferguson has just four hours before he is put to death. He must face his final moments and seek redemption for the pain and suffering he inflicted on everyone involved. Would you forgive the man who killed your daughter?

AN AMERICAN TRAGEDY, from award-winning filmmaker, Lisa Rhoden Boyd (POTOSI GOD IN DEATH ROW), follows Jeffery Ferguson in the final days before his execution. It is the story of one man’s journey to death and another man’s journey to forgive.

“Jeffrey Ferguson has been
on death row for 26 years.
Now he has just one hour left before he is put to death.”

Team

Lisa Rhoden Boyd

Writer, Director, Producer. She has worked on numerous projects for CBS, NBC, HBO, TNT and Showtime. She co-produced the award-winning films Bitter Sugar, Pinero, Paraiso, and El Cantante. As an advocate for Restorative Justice, she interviewed death row inmates in Potosi, Missouri in 2012, creating her award-winning short film, POTOSI, GOD IN DEATH ROW. She is currently working with the Missouri Department of Corrections highlighting programs promoting restoration and transformation and is directing a documentary called, Mass Meaning with Prison Performing Arts.

David Boyd

Executive Producer – credits – Producer/Director on The Weinstein Company’s THE MIST for Spike TV and currently Producer/Director on QUEEN OF THE SOUTH for USA Network. David transitioned as a prominent Director of Photography for GET LOW, DEADWOOD, FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS and the Academy Award Winning short film, TWO SOLDIERS. He is a highly sought-after episodic director and has done shows such as, THE WALKING DEAD, FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS, LONGMIRE, SHADES OF BLUE, ONCE UPON A TIME, THE CROSSING, THE BRAVE and OF KINGS AND PROPHETS.

Keith Salmon

Film editor who spent the first fifteen years of his career editing high profile national TV commercials and music videos for clients including Nike, Levi’s, and Nissan. In 1999 he edited his first feature film “Any Given Sunday,” and went on to edit several more films including Invincible, Man of God, and the highly acclaimed concert film “Lightning in a Bottle.” Salmon edited and co-produced “Bastards of the Party,” the award-winning HBO documentary about gang violence in Los Angeles, and also edited the documentary “Being Born.” In 2013 and 2014, he edited short features for the Augusta National Golf Club and Masters.com and also edited the final act of the CBS Sports golf special “The Big Three.” In 2016 he edited special features for the Grammy-winning documentary film “The Beatles – Eight Days a Week.” He lives and works in Santa Monica, CA.

TONY HUMECKE

Tony is a busy film composer, producer and multi-instrumentalist involved in a variety of projects in Los Angeles and around the world. He has studied many instruments from various cultures, and has established a reputation for musical invention with a distinctive voice. His film scores include Don’t Look Up, Prey, AmericanEast, El Muerto and Naked in Ashes, an award-winning documentary. His score for Bad Blood The Hunger won him a “Best Score in a Feature Film” award from the Burbank International Film Festival. He also co-wrote, with Andy Summers (The Police), the score to the hit film Down and Out in Beverly Hills, and collaborated with composer and electronica star BT in creating the thunderous and unique percussion tracks for the score to the film Stealth.

Zachary & Bridget Galanis

are husband and wife, American singer-songwriters and composers. Together they perform as the Americana duet Zach + Bridget and are the founding members of the genre blending folk-rock ensemble, The Graylings. The two met while performing in a gospel choir and orchestra in 2007 and began performing together shortly thereafter. They are 21st century troubadours singing about the sweetness and uncertainty of modern life with candor and the perspective of betrothed artists. Zach and Bridget have independently produced and released four full-length albums and tour nationally.

Robert DeMaine

Praised by the New York Times as “an artist who makes one hang on every note,” Robert DeMaine is the Principal Cellist of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. A highly sought-after solo artist and chamber musician, he is a frequent guest artist at many of the world’s premier chamber music festivals, and a first-prize winner in many national and international competitions. He has appeared on the stages of Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center, and many others around the world. As a soloist, he has collaborated with many of the world’s most distinguished conductors, and has performed nearly all the major cello concertos with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, where he served as Principal Cellist for over a decade.

Pete Kneser

Pete grew up, almost literally, in his father’s music store in Waukesha, WI (home of Les Paul). He began pounding on drums at a very young age and later played with his various bands until he went off to the University of Wisconsin to study music and radio/TV/film. After earning a bachelor’s degree, Pete moved to Los Angeles with his band to really “learn” the biz. After several more bands and stints at Lost Planet, Hyena Editorial, and Audiobanks, he gathered enough credits and clients to work in shorts and a t-shirt at his home studio in Valencia, CA. Pete has worked on numerous national television commercials, major network promos, films such as Any Given Sunday, shows including American Idol and The Office, plus documentary, independent, and short films.