Trace Evidence

USA | 2023 | 25 min • Documentary Short

Showing In

Coldwater Kitchen
Alice Gill-Sheldon Theatre Sat, Feb 24 7:00 PM

Inside a Michigan prison, a dedicated chef’s gourmet culinary training program gives incarcerated men new skills — and new hope.


For 30 years, soft-spoken chef Jimmy Lee Hill has run a highly regarded culinary training program out of a prison in Coldwater, Mich., offering incarcerated men a renewed sense of purpose through the craft of fine dining — everything from foie gras to lobster.


“Coldwater Kitchen” follows Chef Hill and three of his students — one facing a life sentence, another battling an opioid addiction, and a third returning to the city where he once dealt drugs — as they navigate the woes of incarceration and the difficulties of transitioning back into society.

Coldwater Kitchen
Mary D. Fisher Theatre Tue, Feb 27 4:10 PM

Inside a Michigan prison, a dedicated chef’s gourmet culinary training program gives incarcerated men new skills — and new hope.


For 30 years, soft-spoken chef Jimmy Lee Hill has run a highly regarded culinary training program out of a prison in Coldwater, Mich., offering incarcerated men a renewed sense of purpose through the craft of fine dining — everything from foie gras to lobster.


“Coldwater Kitchen” follows Chef Hill and three of his students — one facing a life sentence, another battling an opioid addiction, and a third returning to the city where he once dealt drugs — as they navigate the woes of incarceration and the difficulties of transitioning back into society.

Film Info
Event Type:Documentary Short
Release Year:2023
Run Time:25
Production Country:USA
Original Language:English
Cast/Crew Info
Director:David Hutchinson

Description

A bullet-proof alibi and unshakeable evidence collide in this tightly-wound true crime thriller.


When the criminologist’s report landed on his attorney’s desk, even Lukis Anderson thought he might be guilty. Lukis’ DNA had appeared under the fingernails of a local businessman who had been killed at home in the nearby town of Monte Sereno.


Unhoused and plagued by memory issues after being hit by a truck, Lukis didn’t stand a chance in court — until his attorney found a medical record stating that he been in a hospital, 30 minutes away, when the crime was committed.


The story of how Lukis’ skin cells traveled from his body to the scene of the crime reveals a web of faulty assumptions about DNA evidence. In this case, technological precision can make our interpretation of data more ambiguous. Amplified by systemic racial bias, law enforcement’s use (or misuse) of DNA is a matter of life and death.