Event

Of Dolls and Murder

September 21st 8pm at The Screening Room 127 E. Congress

ARIZONA PREMIERE

2011, USA, 70 Min
Documentary
Directed by Susan Marks
Narrated by John Waters

John Waters narrates this absorbing documentary which focuses on the Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death; dollhouse dioramas that merge the gothic and kitsch. Created by Frances Glessner Lee in the 1930s to teach detectives, these dioramas offered unique depictions of crime scenes. Frances carved herself as an educator, in an age where policing was a 'man's job'. Known as 'The Patron Saint of Forensic Science', her work still informs teaching investigators today.

Tracing the popular interest in the macabre, murder and forensic science, this perfectly realised film looks not just at Frances' work but also at TV shows like CSI (who produced a season based on the Nutshell Studies) and recent developments in the training of detectives including a trip to the Body Farm. Welcome to the tiny world of big time murder.

PLAYING WITH

Murderabilia
2010, USA, 29 Min
Crime/Narrative
Directed by David Matthews
Cast: Kevin Broughton, Opie Cooper, Tracy Miller

Murderabilia is a grim, atmospheric film that plunges into the seedy underbelly of a profoundly macabre marketthe buying and selling of murder-related collectibles.