Coincidence or not, the Jasper Film Club鈥檚 final movie of the year, Denial, is a non-fiction, courtroom drama that is sure to stir up debate, especially in Jasper.
Based on the book History on Trial: My Day in Court with a Holocaust Denier, the film recounts university professor Deborah E. Lipstadt鈥檚 real life legal battle against historian David Irving, who accused her of libel after she declared him a Holocaust denier in 1996.
In the case of libel, the English legal system places the burden of proof on the defendant rather than the plaintiff, therefore the movie shows how it was up to Lipstadt and her legal team to prove that Irving knew he was lying when he claimed the Holocaust did not occur.
According to film critics, Lipstadt鈥檚 influential work, now retitled Denial: Holocaust History on Trial, is sensitively dramatized by director Mick Jackson and screenwriter David Hare, who chose to stick as close to the real story as possible.
The film had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) in September.
Denial received positive reviews from critics and earned an approval rating of 79 per cent on Rotten Tomatoes, a website dedicated to reviewing movies.
Denial will be shown on Dec. 8 at 7 p.m. at the Chaba Theatre.
Tickets are $10 for non-members and $8 for Jasper Film Club members.
The club will resume its monthly movies in January.
Kayla Byrne [email protected]
