The Joe Donovan Project

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  May 29

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  Experts

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  Characters

9:45 PM along Memorial Drive. An accidental brush of shoulders between strangers leads to an exchange of words. A spontaneous punch is thrown. A knife is pulled…

21 year-old MIT student Yngve Raustein is murdered as he walks with fellow Norwegian student Arne Fredheim along the perimeter of MIT’s campus, on the banks of the Charles River.

Three Cambridge teenagers — Joseph Donovan, Shon McHugh and Alfredo Velez are charged with the crime. Though they had only spent 15 minutes together before the incident, the Middlesex District Attorney decides to prosecute the case under the joint venture theory, holding all three teens accountable for first degree murder.

Shon McHugh,15, plunged the knife into Raustein without provocation. He is tried in juvenile court and receives a 20-year sentence. He serves less than 11 years in prison.

Alfredo Velez, 18, demanded Fredheim’s wallet after Raustein was stabbed. He took a plea bargain in exchange for his testimony against McHugh and Donovan. He pled guilty to manslaughter and armed robbery and was sentenced to 20 years. He served less than 10 years.

Joe Donovan threw the punch that knocked Raustein to the ground. Three weeks past his 17th birthday, Donovan was automatically tried as an adult under Massachusetts law. He was convicted of first degree felony murder and armed robbery. He received the mandatory sentence for that crime.

Life in prison without the possibility of parole. A natural life sentence.

Donovan has now served 22 years in prison, while Raustein’s killer, Shon McHugh, was set free more than a decade ago.

In 2012, the United States Supreme Court ruled that the mandatory sentence of life without parole for juveniles (under 18) violates the 8th Amendment’s prohibition of cruel and unusual punishment. The Massachusetts Supreme Court must now decide what measures to take regarding inmates serving life sentences for crimes they committed as juveniles.

Donovan now awaits finality. He hopes for re-sentencing or release for time served. His fate hangs in the balance.

This film tells his story.

Give now at:

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  Jason Pugatch Director/Producer

  is a Cambridge native who attended school with Donovan and became interested in his case immediately following the news of the killing. During the years Donovan spent in prison, Pugatch graduated from Sarah Lawrence College, then earned an MFA from the American Repertory Theater Institute for Advanced Theater Training at Harvard University and the Moscow Art Theater (officially the longest title for a school, ever).

  After years as a professional actor in New York and Los Angeles, Pugatch turned to writing and directing. His first screenplay became the feature film Coach. He continues to write for film and television while exploring new avenues of filmmaking. His debut short film, The Pact, won the jury prize for Best Narrative Short at the 2012 Napa Valley Film Festival. This will be his first documentary film, one born from an unconsummated need to tell Donovan’s story to the world.

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  Max McMahon Producer

  is a lifelong Cambridge resident. A social worker specializing in youth work, violence prevention and conflict resolution, Max is an experienced interviewer, trainer and facilitator. Max has an interest in personal narratives, oral histories and the exploration of meaning uncovered through dialogue, conversation and reflection and has recently begun work on a new venture, “Life, Told,” which will help people record important stories, messages and moments in their lives. Max received his B.A. in American Cultural Studies from Bates College and masters in Social Work from Boston University.
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  Dan Lindsay & TJ Martin Executive Producers

  Academy Award winners Dan Lindsay and TJ Martin have been creative partners for over 6 years. Together they directed, edited and shot the feature length documentary Undefeated, for which they won their Academy Award. The film was also honored with a Critics’ Choice Award nomination for Best Documentary, as well as winning numerous festival awards including a Special Jury Prize at DOC NYC and Audience Awards at Indie Memphis and the Chicago Independent Film Festival. They are currently in post-production on a documentary special for the National Geographic Channel. The program is an intimate portrayal of the process of dying. It is being produced by Casey Affleck and Joaquin Phoenix and Scott Free Productions. Lindsay and Martin are also attached to direct the film based on the true life of NFL wide-receiver Jesse Holley for Sony Pictures.
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  Casey Affleck Executive Producer

  Casey Affleck’s onscreen career began in 1988, but his Academy Award nominated work in The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007) gained him wider acclaim in recent years. Affleck’s first major film role was in Gus Van Sant’s To Die For (1995), in which he co-starred with his future brother-in-law Joaquin Phoenix and Nicole Kidman. He would go on to appear in two films with his brother, Chasing Amy (1997) and Good Will Hunting (1997), which Ben Affleck co-wrote with Matt Damon. He also co-wrote the screenplay Gerry (2002) with Gus Van Sant and Matt Damon, which received a limited release in the United States. Affleck also received positive critical notice for his work in Gone Baby Gone (2007), and directed Joaquin Phoenix in the film I’m Still Here (2010). Recent work includes Ain’t Them Bodies Saints and Out of the Furnace. He is currently producing a series for National Geographic Channel on the process of dying. He is married Summer Phoenix.
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  Beth Balaban Director of Photography

  is a Boston-based independent documentary filmmaker. She is Co-Director and Co-Producer of the documentary SON OF SAICHI (in production). Beth is Co-Founder and Chair of the New England film collaborative The Non-Fiction Cartel. Previously, she worked in collaboration with Principle Pictures as a Producer, Editor and Director of Photography. Her education includes an M.F.A in Media Arts from Emerson College and an on-going degree in general life consumption and human interaction studies.

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