In the jury room of the New York County Courthouse, jurors prepare to deliberate the case of an 18-year-old boy from a troubled neighbourhood accused of murdering his father with premeditation. The judge instructs them that in the event of any reasonable doubt, the jurors must deliver a verdict of not guilty; if found guilty, the defendant will face the death penalty. The verdict must be unanimous. The evidence appears convincing: a neighbour testified that she saw the defendant stab his father through a window. Another neighbour testified that he heard the defendant threaten to kill his father, saw the body hit the ground, and then observed the defendant running past his door through the peephole. The boy had a prior record and recently purchased a distinctive switchblade knife found at the crime scene, although he claimed he had lost it. The knife at the scene was cleaned of fingerprints. In the preliminary vote, all vote for conviction except the 8th juror, who doubts the credibility of the witnesses and the alleged uniqueness of the murder weapon, producing an identical switchblade from his pocket. Unconvinced by the others, the 8th juror proposes a secret ballot, abstaining from voting; if all other jurors still find the boy guilty, he will not oppose it.

Creators and Cast

• Director: Sidney Lumet
• Screenplay: Reginald Rose
• Cinematography: Boris Kaufman
• Music: Kenoyn Hopkins
• Cast: Martin Balsam, John Fiedler, Lee J. Cobb, E.G. Marshall, Edward Binns, Jack Warden

About the film

• Age: 12+
• Duration: 96′
• Polish subtitles
• USA, 1957

Accessibility for people with additional needs

• the screening on will take place in an auditorium with 140 seats;
• you may leave (e.g., to use the restroom) and return to the auditorium during the screening;
• before the screening you can borrow noise-cancelling headphones free of charge. You will find them at the festival box office (at the entrance to the cinema);
• remember to choose seats close to the exit if you or the people you are attending with might need to leave during the screening;
• click: Architectural accessibility of Kino Pałacowe to learn more about the layout of the cinema and CK Zamek, and how to move around them;
  

Festival accessibility coordinator:
Marta Maksimowicz
tel. 884 936 747
email: dostepnosc@csdpoznan.pl

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