Brainstorm Media has picked up the North American rights to The Lie: The Murder of Grace Millane, a documentary from director Helena Coan about a British backpacker who was murdered in New Zealand while on a Tinder date in 2018.
Brainstorm plans a spring 2024 release. The tragic death of 21-year-old Grace Millane while on a solo holiday made headlines worldwide for her murderer’s violent history and attitude towards women.
That was illustrated during a 2019 trial, where her killer was found guilty after offering a so-called “rough sex” defense that Millane could not rebut, and her family had to hear in court. Jesse Kempson, dubbed the Tinder killer, was eventually found guilty of murder and sentenced to a life sentence, with 17 years in prison without parole.
The Lie: The Murder of Grace Millane is set to present newly released CCTV footage and interviews that captures Millane’s Tinder date before she was strangled to death and holds a mirror up to broader issues of violence against women in society.
“Watching something so innocent evolve into something so abhorrent is a deeply unsettling experience, but one that I hope raises difficult, necessary questions and challenges our preconceptions about violence against women,” director Coan said in a statement.
The Lie: The Murder of Grace Millane is produced by New Zealand-based Matthew Metcalfe and Tom Blackwell of GFC Films.
“This chilling tale makes for a psychologically fascinating documentary. Lovers of the genre will appreciate the never-before-seen footage as well as Coan’s considerate telling of the investigation and subsequent trial,” Brainstorm Media CEO Michelle Shwarzstein said in a statement.
The distribution deal was negotiated by Pip Ngo at XYZ Films and Alex Peters at Brainstorm Media.
Read the full article at The Hollywood Reporter.