The State of Texas vs. Melissa

2020 Official Selection: Features

FEATURE | France | 102 MINUTES | English, Spanish |

THE STATE OF TEXAS VS. MELISSA

Documentary, Drama, Politics

State of Texas v. Melissa explores the life journey of Melissa Lucio, the first Hispanic woman to be sentenced to death in the state of Texas. For ten years she has been awaiting her fate, and now faces her last appeal. No one had ever seen Melissa be violent towards her children, yet she was blamed for the daily abuse and subsequent death of her two year-old daughter, who died from blunt head trauma. Set in the heart of the Latino community of South Texas, the film takes a look at Melissa’s broken childhood, her adulthood plagued by poverty and prejudice, and the miscarriage of justice Melissa faced, from the court appointed attorney who willingly set aside evidence, to the District attorney who used her case to help his re-election. State of Melissa v. Texas is the portrait of a woman’s fight against an entire system. —Deborah Rudolph

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Tickets Launch June 18th for LESFF2021


CAST & CREDITS

Directed by Sabrina Van Tassel

Sabrina Van Tassel is a French-American film director and a journalist. Over the last 15 years, she has directed over 45 documentary films for major television networks. Her work focuses mainly on social and politically motivated matters.

Director
Sabrina Van Tassel
Producer
Isaac Sharry, Sabrina Van Tassel, Philippe de Bourbon
Screenwriter
Sabrina Van Tassel
Cinematographer
Cyril Thomas
Editor
Damien Bois
Composer
Christophe La Pinta
Executive Producer
Philippe de Bourbon

CONTACTS

Press Contact
Sabrina Van Tassel
Tahli Films
Paris, 75116
Phone: 6 62 18 49 44
sabrina@vantassel.fr