Audio By Carbonatix
A searing examination of the treatment of mental illness in the legal and penal system of Florida, THE LIFE AND MIND OF MARK DEFRIEST tells the unbelievable tale of Mark DeFriest. Known as Houdini for his multiple and improbable jailbreaks, Mark DeFriest was condemned to Florida’s worst prison after a lone psychiatrist reversed four court appointed psychiatrists and declared Mark was faking mental illness. More than 30 years later, Mark is still struggling to understand how to survive a rigid and unforgiving system, while his remaining supporters forge an unlikely alliance to argue for his freedom in front of the Florida Parole Commission. Along the way, they uncover lingering questions as to whether Mark should have been sent to prison, yet face the daunting task of explaining why a notorious troublemaker deserves to go free.
In the making for over a decade, THE LIFE AND MIND OF MARK DEFRIEST is timely as Mark DeFriest goes before the Florida Parole Commission on Wednesday, November 19. Filmmaker Gabriel London will be at the screening for a Q+A. Presented by the Miami School of Law.
THE LIFE AND MIND OF MARK DEFRIEST screens Saturday November 8 at 7:00 p.m. This screening is Free and Open to the public. Seating is first come, first served. For more information, visit www.cosfordcinema.com or call 305-284-4861.
Sat., Nov. 8, 7 p.m., 2014