‘Making A Murderer’ Up For 6 Emmy Nominations
The remarkable Netflix docu-series Making a Murderer reached millions of people across the world, touching the hearts of a number of people who believe Steven Avery and Brendan Dassey, the centerpieces of the film, are innocent. The makers of the film, Laura Ricciardi and Moira Demos, are now up for six Emmy nominations.
For those who haven’t heard of it yet, Making a Murderer, a 10-part documentary series that premiered on Netflix last year, examined the murder of 25-year-old photographer, Teresa Halbach, who disappeared on October 31, 2005, after taking pictures of a van on Avery’s property. Her vehicle and some of her remains were found hidden in Avery’s Auto Salvage in Manitowoc County, Wisconsin, several days later, although how her vehicle actually got there remains debatable.
'Making a Murderer' up for 6 Emmy Awards https://t.co/pWAQGoe8Eh pic.twitter.com/F39Cu0ilo5
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The Manitowoc County Sheriff’s Department arrested Avery and charged him with murder, partly based on the evidence found on his property, and partly because his then 15-year-old nephew, Brendan Dassey, confessed that he and his uncle raped and killed Halbach, before burning her remains in a self-made fire pit.
Later, Dassey recanted his confession, claiming he was coerced by unrelenting detectives who basically “put words into his mouth.” Watching the teenager, clearly confused, answer questions without the presence of an attorney or his parents, is what sparked outrage across the world. Viewers began rallying around Dassey and taking more interest in the case. From questionable police ethics to a defense attorney who appeared to believe his client was guilty, Dassey had the odds stacked against him from the beginning.
Both Avery and Dassey remain in prison, serving a life sentence for murder, but their story captured a worldwide audience, including the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences‘ (NATAS) attention, the organization responsible for Emmy nominations.
The six Emmy nominations for Making a Murderer include:
- Outstanding documentary or nonfiction series
- Outstanding directing for a nonfiction program
- Outstanding writing for a nonfiction program
- Outstanding picture editing for a nonfiction program
- Outstanding sound editing for a nonfiction program
- Outstanding sound mixing for a nonfiction program
When filmmakers Demos and Ricciardi learned of the nominations, they admitted they were stunned, yet at the same time grateful that Avery’s story will remain in the spotlight. Demos released a comment on the nominations.
“With these nominations, it’s incredibly exciting because it keeps attention on the series and drives new viewers and keeps the conversation going, which was our incentive the whole time in making the series….To promote a dialogue.”
Richard added her thoughts.
“We’re stunned. We are incredibly grateful to the (TV) Academy to have our entire team’s work acknowledged by our peers in the industry is incredibly rewarding. We’re grateful to everyone who participated in the creation of the series, especially our subjects.”
Meanwhile, the filmmakers are considering making a follow-up film to the documentary. Both Demos and Ricciardi are aware that viewers were left with questions, looking for closure in a case that shows a stark example of how convoluted the U.S. criminal justice system can be. Desmos indicated that the story does indeed continue on, and they are doing their best to find a way to follow it and make into something interesting and captivating.
“The story does continue. We are committed to finding a way to follow it, and we’ll need to explore a different way to do it this time, because it is in the zeitgeist, it is in the 24-hour news cycle. So we’re looking at new ways of doing that.”
Avery himself vows to continue to fight at all costs. This is the second time he’s been in prison. In the 1980s, he was wrongfully convicted of rape, and it took 18 years before DNA evidence proved his innocence. Of course, he’s hoping justice will not take as long this time.
To watch and see if Making a Murderer wins, tune into 68th Primetime Emmy Awards, airing September 18 on ABC.
[Photo by Netflix]
