A School of Communication documentary about the boot-camp death of teen Martin Lee Anderson is making news in ways its producers never anticipated.

Among other issues examined, the film looks at the role of videotape in bringing to light the actions of guards at the Bay County facility, actions that a medical examiner said led directly to the teen’s death. The documentary is set to premiere at the Tallahassee Film Festival on Saturday, three days after the Florida House of Representatives passed a bill that would basically make video or audio recordings of a killing confidential and exempt from public records.

“The only reason we know about it (what happened to Anderson) is because that videotape was made. So this shows the power of videotape to keep us informed,” said Dr. Andy Opel, an associate professor who led a team of undergraduate and graduate students to produce the film.

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