Distraction Unveils O.J. Simpson Doc

MONTREAL, September 24: Monster
or Myth?, a one-hour documentary
from director Jay Gira that gives an insider’s account of notorious celebrity
O.J. Simpson, is now available from Distraction.

Produced by Marquez
Productions, the documentary follows Simpson as he revisits numerous Los
Angeles landmarks made famous by the 1995 double homicide—his former
residences and the prison where he was held in solitary confinement for 17
months. Simpson also candidly reveals previously unknown details about his past
and present struggles, while also addressing issues of celebrity, the legal
system, race relations and his treatment by the media.

Gira, who makes his
directorial debut, has also captured a number of other exclusive interviews,
including Simpson’s daughter Arnelle; members of his defense team from the 1995
trial, Alan Dershowitz and F. Lee Bailey; former Kobe Bryant defense attorney
L. Lin Wood; and the prosecution led by high-profile attorney and author Marcia
Clark.

Gira commented, “I was
only 17 when the mass media converged upon O.J. Simpson’s first court case and
became totally absorbed by what followed. And like most television viewers
around the world, whether you believe him guilty or innocent, my intrigue
continues to this day. Ironically, after an opportune encounter with Mr.
Simpson in a Las Vegas hotel in 2005, I was given exclusive access to create a
retrospective documentary on the ‘trial of the century’, which years later
clearly continued to have an enormous emotional impact on people. After
production was unexpectedly sidetracked by Simpson’s November 2007 arrest, he
allowed me to continue my film based on the strong foundation of our
relationship. It soon became clear that Mr. Simpson saw these exclusive
interviews as perhaps his last meaningful chance to get his side of the story
out before possibly being sentenced to life in prison.”

—By Kristin
Brzoznowski