Baltimore, 1972: Henry Selhorst, father of thirteen children, is murdered blocks from his home by three young men. Decades later his granddaughter Emily Topper tries to find out what really happened that fatal day. 'Racism', people said back then. But is that really all there was to it? 'All Fall Down' is a deeply personal detective story from a city where the relationship between black and white has a troubled history - and where the truth is nonetheless never black and white. Although Emily meets both the policemen that were first on the crime scene, and actually manages to seek out the men accused of the murder, every new testimonial only adds another perspective on the case. And her attempt to piece the puzzles together into a coherent picture is not made easier by the years that have passed, or by the fact that much has disappeared or been suppressed in the fog of collective memory. But in the meantime 'All Fall Down' turns into a phantom portrait of a missing man that Emily herself never really got to know - and of very special family.
Festivals
Credits
- Screenplay
- Maya Hawke
- Editing
- Maya Hawke
- Music
- Mark Degli Antoni
- Production
- HEAVY INDUSTRY FILMS
Press
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I've seen this film and found it to be a totally engrossing documentary...
Mary Posatko
USA
Mary Posatko is the producer of the critically acclaimed feature documentary IN IT FOR MY HEALTH: A FILM ABOUT LEVON HELM, which premiered at SXSW and was theatrically released by Kino Lorber in 2013. Previously, she was a producer for PRI and KCRW’s To The Point, as well as on many short films, including the Student Academy-Award- and BAFTA-winning PITSTOP. ALL FALL DOWN is her first film as a director. Born in Delaware, Posatko received her BA in History from Brown University before moving to Los Angeles to work as an AmeriCorps volunteer in the largest homeless shelter on Skid Row. She received her MFA from the USC School of Cinematic Arts, where she is currently on the faculty.
Emily Topper
USA
Emily Topper is a cinematographer based in Los Angeles. She studied Visual Anthropology at Swarthmore College and Film Production at the USC School of Cinematic Arts. Emily's previous documentaries include AFTER TILLER and AIN'T IN IT FOR MY HEALTH: A FILM ABOUT LEVON HELM. ALL FALL DOWN, which centers around a murder in her family, is Emily's first film as a director. She was born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland, where the story takes place.