Marc Evans

Since his incarceration in 1982 for allegedly shooting a Philadelphia policeman to death, Black Panther Mumia Abu-Jamal has awaited execution on Death Row, vociferously protesting his innocence; he now qualifies as one of the most famous Death Row inmates in the world. Currently an author of five tomes and an on-air personality who broadcasts over the phone from prison, Abu-Jamal carries the support of no less than Nelson Mandela and the administrators of Amnesty International, who believe in and fervently argue his innocence. Filmmaker Marc Evans's documentary In Prison My Whole Life witnesses William Francome, a British man who was born on the same day as the shooting, traveling to the prison where Abu-Jamal is held to investigate the details of the man's case. The film witnesses Francome learning about the initial events of that terrible night that led to Abu-Jamal's arrest and conviction, the allegations that the trial itself was unfair, and the city where it all happened - and investigating the moral and ethical dilemmas that have turned Abu-Jamal into a touchstone for the global crusade against capital punishment. Participants include belletrist Alice Walker, social activist Noam Chomsky and rapper Snoop Dogg. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide

Picking up where the multitudes of late '90s/early 2000s reality-based television shows left off is the unexpectedly shocking horror film My Little Eye, from director Marc Evans. Five twentysomethings are assembled to live together for a period of six months in a house specially outfitted with a bevy of webcams in order to collect a one million prize. The one major caveat being if anyone abandons the house prior to the end of the six-month period, no one will win anything. After introducing the different characters -- intelligent Danny (Stephen O'Reilly), slacker Rex (Kris Lemche), frat boy Matt (Sean CW Johnson), good girl Emma (Laura Regan), and actress wannabe Charlie (Jennifer Sky) -- the story jumps ahead to the last few days before the scheduled end of the contest. At this point, it becomes apparent that outside forces are somehow manipulating certain events within the house, and the household is sent into chaos as one of the participants is found dead. Another participant receives an ominous note, and shortly thereafter, the remaining participants begin to realize the true intensity of their mortal peril. My Little Eye premiered at the 2002 Locarno International Film Festival. ~ Ryan Shriver, All Movie Guide

This downbeat Welsh drama is set in a mining town that's been crushed by an economic collapse. Sid (Steven MacKintosh), Gwenny (Lisa Palfrey), and Boyo (Matthew Rhys) are three grown siblings who must care for their emotionally unstable mother (Sian Phillips) as they try to scrape together a living. Fascinated with American culture, the siblings emulate the hard-living lifestyle of the Beat Generation authors of the 1950s; their mother has told them that their father moved to the United States 15 years ago, and they often write him, hoping to someday join him there. However, he never returns their messages, and no one can explain why. Desperate for money, Sid and Boyo learn that a coal mine in a nearby town is looking for workers, but their mother is terrified that her children will abandon her and begs them not to go. Eventually, Gwenny and Sid, both desperate for comfort, fall into an incestuous relationship. House of America was the first theatrical feature for director Marc Evans after a number of television films; he was the recipient of the "Best Directorial Debut" award at the 1997 Stockholm Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

A three-part offering in British television's Ruth Rendell Mysteries anthology, Master of the Moor was set in Dartmoor, the home of a brooding, solitary young man named Stephen Whalby (Colin Firth). Virtually alone since the death of his mother, Stephen wandered the moors day after day, writing dreamy, hallucinatory prose about the beauties of the countryside to the local newspaper. After the mysterious murders of several young, blonde women, Stephen's writings became increasingly bizarre, thereby arousing the suspicions of Detective Inspector Manciple (George Costigan), who felt that the Heathcliffe-like hero knew more about the killings than he was willing to reveal. Master of the Moor was broadcast by Britain's ITV service in 1994. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide