On Jan. 5, 2006, 14-year-old Martin Lee Anderson entered the Bay County Sheriff’s Office Boot Camp in Panama City, Fla. Eighteen hours later, he was pronounced dead.

Through unflinching interviews and five years of documented protests, legal battles and media attention, Beating Justice examines the intersection of race, class, the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice and the power of videotape in the tragic death of Martin Lee Anderson.

Collaborating with a team of graduate and undergraduate students at The Florida State University, Dr. Andy Opel and his team will premiere this one-hour documentary on Saturday, April 9. at 3:30 p.m. at the All Saints Cinema on Railroad Avenue, as part of the Tallahassee Film Festival. This film is part of The Spotlight Florida Film Series sponsored by The Governor’s Office of Film & Entertainment and is in competition in the documentary feature category.

The death of Martin Lee Anderson is a Florida story with connections to national questions of race, class and juvenile justice.  As the story unfolded, Tallahassee became the center of activity and students from Florida State, Florida A&M University and Tallahassee Community College played a critical role in maintaining public attention on this tragic story.

Beating Justice chronicles the five-year struggle to get justice for Martin Lee Anderson.  In addition to covering the many protests and a series of court trials, this film explores the role of videotape images and the power and ambiguity of those images.

For more information, contact Opel at aopel@fsu.edu or 850-322-3349.