West of Memphis

West of Memphis is a 2012 true-crime documentary that follows the trial, conviction, and eventual release from prison of three young men—known as the West Memphis Three—following the disappearance and murder of three children in West Memphis (Crittenden County).

West of Memphis not only tells the local story of the murders, but also focuses on the global attention the case attracted and the massive support that was garnered for the West Memphis Three. The documentary includes interviews with Eddie Vedder and with Natalie Maines of the Dixie Chicks (later renamed the Chicks) recounting their advocacy for justice in the case and video clips from the “Voices for Justice” rally in 2010, hosted at the Robinson Center Music Hall in Little Rock (Pulaski County), featuring speeches made by Johnny Depp, Patti Smith, and Henry Rollins. Despite sharing a story that had already been told in various books (such as Mara Leveritt’s Devil’s Knot) and the documentary series Paradise Lost, West of Memphis was praised by critics for providing a fresh perspective on the case.

West of Memphis was produced by Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh, who had previously produced the Lord of the Rings series. Jackson became interested in the case after viewing Paradise Lost and helped to fund some of the legal work to free the three men, only turning toward producing another documentary after determining that more pressure was needed on authorities. The project was also produced and written by one of the West Memphis Three, Damien Echols, and his wife, Lorri Davis, who also assisted in the production of Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory, a documentary regarding the same case. Director Amy Berg started the production in 2009, spanning two years of new progress in the case before its release in 2012.

After its premiere at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival, West of Memphis received ten total awards nominations, including the Critics Choice Awards, BAFTA Awards, American Cinema Editors Awards, Chicago Film Critics Association Awards, Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Awards, Satellite Awards, BFI London Film Festival, Writers Guild of America, Vancouver Film Critics Circle, and Dublin Film Critics Circle Awards. Berg was awarded the Documentary Award from the WIFTS Foundation International Visionary Awards in 2012 (she had previously received an Oscar nomination in 2007 for the Best Documentary category with her previous project Deliver Us from Evil). The film earned $310,154 during its domestic run.

For additional information:
Leigh, Danny. “Peter Jackson’s West of Memphis: The Tale of Three Wronged Men.” The Guardian, December 21, 20212. https://www.theguardian.com/film/2012/dec/21/peter-jackson-west-of-memphis (accessed October 14, 2026).

“West of Memphis.” Internet Movie Database. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2130321/ (accessed October 14, 2026).

Samantha R. Lindstrom
Little Rock, Arkansas