RECENT PRESS
Exploring the ‘female gaze’ during FilmScene’s Women’s March Little Village Mag
“[The film] industry is learning that the more diversity of voices for storytelling, the more dynamic and exciting these stories can be — and the more that gets butts into the theater!” —Deborah Esquenazi
Southwest of Salem Nominated for a News & Documentary Emmy Award
Peabody Award Winner: Southwest of Salem, The Peabody Awards
Investigation Discovery Earns First Peabody Award With Filmmaker Deborah S. Esquenazi’s Documentary Film, Southwest Of Salem: The Story Of The San Antonio Four DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS
'San Antonio Four' Documentary Named Finalist for Peabody Award San Antonio Current
For years, Southwest of Salem: The Story of the San Antonio Four, by documentary filmmaker Deborah Esquenazi, has been the primary vehicle for drawing nationwide attention to the problematic prosecution of Elizabeth Ramirez, Cassandra Rivera, Kristie Mayhugh and Anna Vasquez, all of whom were handed lengthy prison sentences after being convicted of brutally assaulting Ramirez’s young niece in a series of bizarre rituals.
Hollywood Stars Cheer as Salem Four Accept Big Award, San Antonio Express News
San Antonio Four Thank ‘Power of Filmmaking’ at GLAAD Awards, The Advocate
GLAAD Media Award winners: ‘Southwest of Salem,’ ‘Strut’ and More, Indiewire
Rosie O’Donnell surprises ‘Southwest of Salem’ women at GLAAD Media Awards in NYC, GLAAD
GLAAD Media Award Nominees Revealed, Outstanding Documentary Nominee Southwest of Salem, Hollywood Reporter
Live at SXSW with the San Antonio Four, Wrongful Conviction with Jason Flom, iTunes Podcast
The 11 Best LGBT Documentaries of 2016 The Advocate
Oscars 2017: Best Original Song Shortlist Includes Three ‘La La Land’ Tunes Indiewire
Hispanic Woman Spent 17 Years in Prison for Crime She Didn’t Commit Latin American Herald Tribune
"16 Latino Films You Didn't See in 2016 But Probably Should" REMEZCLA
SAN ANTONIO FOUR ARE EXONERATED! NOVEMBER 23 2016!
San Antonio Four Exonerated How lesbophobia and sexism imprisoned four innocent women Curve Magazine
SOUTHWEST OF SALEM Helps Exonerate Four Wrongfully Convicted Women Women and Hollywood
'San Antonio Four' exonerated in child rape case, CNN
The San Antonio 4 Declared Innocent and Exonerated: AN OUTCOME 22 YEARS IN THE MAKING, AFTER THE WOMEN SPENT MORE THAN FIFTEEN YEARS IN PRISON FOR A CRIME THEY DIDN’T COMMIT, Texas Monthly
'San Antonio Four' Cleared on All Charges by Texas Appeals Court After Almost 15 Years in Prison, People.com
'San Antonio Four' Found Completely Innocent in Child Gang-Rape Case, Jezebel
San Antonio Four Exonerated After Two-Decade Fight, The Advocate
Texas justice: Four Latina lesbians finally exonerated, 19 years late, LGBTQ Nation
Texas’s highest court: ‘San Antonio 4’ are innocent, Washington Post
Four San Antonio Lesbians Wrongly Convicted of Child Abuse Have Finally Been Exonerated, SLATE.COM
'San Antonio Four' exonerated in gang-rape case after decade in prison, The Guardian
PRESS RELEASE: Investigation Discovery Congratulates the San Antonio Four for their Full Exoneration, Multichannel.com
San Antonio Four declared Innocent, Exonerated. The Texas Tribune
'San Antonio Four' exonerated in 1990s Texas sexual assault cases, AOL News
'San Antonio 4' Declared Innocent by Texas Court of Appeals,
Rolling Stone
The San Antonio Four Are Finally Declared "Actually Innocent", San Antonio Current
Finally Free! Four Wrongfully Convicted Latina Lesbians Cleared on All Charges by Texas Court, Autostraddle
Court Clears ‘San Antonio Four’ on Sex-Assault Charges, Courthouse News
“Those defendants have won the right to proclaim to the citizens of Texas that they did not commit a crime,” the 45-page opinion states. “That they are innocent. That they deserve to be exonerated. These women have carried that burden. They are innocent. And they are exonerated. This court grants them the relief they seek.”
Southwest of Salem: How Four Wrongfully Convicted Latina Lesbians Survived A Witch-Hunt, AUTOSTRADDLE November 2016
*WINNER* Critics’ Choice Doc Award Winners: “13th,” “Weiner,” and “Southwest of Salem” Women and Hollywood
*WINNER* Best First Feature (TV/Streaming) Critics' Choice Documentary Awards, Entertainment Weekly
'Best First Feature (TV/Streaming) Critics’ Choice Documentary Nominations' October 2016
Four Lesbians Were Wrongly Convicted of Child Abuse. Why Haven’t They Been Exonerated? Slate.com October 2016
"On the night of Saturday Oct. 15, every LGBTQ person and ally—and anyone who wants to see unequivocal proof of how messed up the American criminal justice system is—should plant themselves in front of a TV set and watch Southwest of Salem."
"The transcripts from the two trials read like a dystopian nightmare." Bridgette Dunlap
Southwest of Salem is 'Queering True Crime', The Advocate September 2016
"If we are talking about an era of hysteria — and that’s what Southwest of Salem is really about — I’m not sure we’re past that,” said Esquenazi. To ensure that what happened to the San Antonio Four does not repeat itself, Esquenazi is also advocating for an upheaval and reevaluation of a criminal justice system that is biased against vulnerable communities.” - Daniel Reynolds
Rosie O'Donnell Hosts Event Supporting the San Antonio Four, Page Six September 2016
A tale of prejudice, ignorance and injustice unfolds in documentary 'Southwest of Salem', Review, LA TIMES September 2016
SOUTHWEST OF SALEM: THE STORY OF THE SAN ANTONIO FOUR, REVIEW, Roger Ebert.com September 2016
These four women say they were wrongly jailed for 15 years, New York Post September 2016
In ‘Southwest of Salem,’ 4 Women Convicted of Sexual Assault Fight for Justice, REVIEW, New York Times September 2016
Investigation Discovery Inks Deal With James Patterson, Sets Police Documentary & More – TCA Deadline Hollywood August 2016
ID, FilmRise pick up “Southwest of Salem" RealScreen July 2016
Up close and personal with S.A.'s TV notables MySanAntonio.com August 2016
‘Southwest of Salem’ Documentary Scheduled for Fall Release (EXCLUSIVE)Variety July 2016
Cinema Spotlight: ‘Southwest of Salem,’ Story of the San Antonio FourTime Warner Cable News July 2016
Women Win Big at Outfest Los Angeles, Women and Hollywood July 2016
"The Jury praised “Southwest of Salem” for its “ability to captivate the audience and to give voice to those who have been oppressed, and to expose an egregious miscarriage of justice of marginalized, yet the most exceedingly brave women.”
'Spa Night,' 'Kiki' and 'Major!' win top awards at Outfest Los Angeles, LA Times, July 2016
Outfest 2016: 17 Reasons You’ll Find Us at This Year’s Festival, Frontiers Media June 27 2016
Guilty of being QWOC: The San Antonio Four on being wrongly accused, After Ellen June 23 2016
SOUTHWEST OF SALEM: THE STORY OF THE SAN ANTONIO FOUR, Adobe Creative June 16 2016
‘Southwest of Salem’ Documents Four Women’s Struggle for Exoneration, KQED Arts June 20 2016
Frameline 2016: 10 don’t miss films at LGBTQ film fest, Marin Journal June 16 2016
“Looking” The Movie, And 14 Other Must-See Flicks On The Summer Film Festival Circuit, Queerty.com June 16 2016
Southwest of Salem looks at the unjust imprisonment of four Latina lesbians, AFTERELLEN.COM May 2016
Tribeca Film Review: ‘Southwest of Salem’, VARIETY
'Employs straightforward, intimate aesthetics to elicit intense empathy with their fight for freedom.' - Nick Schager, VARIETY
This Is The Next Making A Murderer & It’s Even More Chilling, REFINERY29
In ‘Southwest Of Salem,’ Four Gay Latinas Endure A Witch Hunt And Wrongful Imprisonment, REMEZCLA
Director Deborah Esquenazi on What Drew Her to a Satanic-Ritual Abuse Trial in Texas, NEW YORK MAGAZINE
Women freed from prison fight to clear their names, CNN April 2016
San Antonio Four: women link 'satanic' child abuse convictions to homophobia, The Guardian April 2016
"With intimate access to the subjects over a period of years, Esquenazi’s film builds into a horrifying indictment of justice gone awry, and one that left much of the audience in tears. Among those who broke down were the four subjects of the film, who have been released pending a new trial and who say they still cry every time they see the movie." - Steve Pond, THE WRAP
Move Over, ‘Making a Murderer’ – Tribeca Has a New Infuriating Miscarriage of Justice Story, THE WRAP
"Its heart lies in the relationships between the women, who remained close and loyal to one another through it all, and the families and children they had to leave behind. "- Jen Yamato, THE DAILY BEAST
Inside the Next ‘Making a Murderer’: Satanic Panic, Homophobia, and the San Antonio Four, THE DAILY BEAST
"Director Deborah S. Esquenazi brilliantly tells a toxic tale mix of discrimination, familial dysfunction, religious/political paranoia, and a system full of biases. Grade: A+" - Lee Romero, CORRIENTE LATINA
Southwest of Salem Movie Review: Tribeca Film Festival, CORRIENTE LATINA, April 2016
19 Movies to Watch At The 2016 Tribeca Film Festival, HARPERS BAZAAR, April 2016
Director Deborah Esquenazi on What Drew Her to a Satanic Ritual Abuse Trial in Texas, NEW YORK MAGAZINE, April 2016
'I Helped Four Women Get out of Prison': Deborah Esquenazi on True-Crime Doc 'Southwest of Salem'
No Film School April 2016
Tribeca 2016 Women Directors: Meet Deborah S. Esquenazi - 'Southwest of Salem: The Story of the San Antonio Four' INDIEWIRE/Women & Hollywood, April 2016
The 19 Kickstarter-funded Films You Can Catch at the 2016 Tribeca Film Festival, Kickstarter April 2016
This Year at Tribeca, Austin Gay Lesbian Intl Film Festival Blog, April 2016
Tribeca 2016 Documentary Overview, WhatNotToDoc, April 2016
A Guide to Everything Latino at Tribeca, Remezcla, April 2016
WATCH: Indiewire Exclusive - Witness the Last Gasps of Satanic Panic in Heart-Stopping 'Southwest of Salem' Trailer
'Has your blood pressure been sufficiently raised by shows like "Making A Murderer" and movies like the "Paradise Lost" trilogy? Buckle up, because we've got another unbelievable true crime story story that will leave you equal parts fascinated and furious."- INDIEWIRE, April 2016
Can’t Miss Queer Films & Events at the 2016 Tribeca Film Festival, AfterEllen.com, April 2016
JUSTICE FOR SOME, NOT ALL: THE POWERFUL STORY BEHIND THE CAN'T-MISS DOCUMENTARY SOUTHWEST OF SALEM, Tribeca Interview, April 2016
Tribeca Film Festival Announces 2016 Competition Lineup That's 33% Female-Helmed INDIEWIRE, March 2016
Hot Docs Festival Unveils Full Line Up VARIETY, March 2016
The LGBT Films of Tribeca THE ADVOCATE, March 2016
'League of Exotique Dancers' to Open Hot Docs Festival THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER March 2016
Sundance Institute Selects Projects and Panelists for Creative Film Producing Labs and Summit INDIEWIRE, July 2015
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