The website has copies of the Canadian investigation and it reads like a crime novel. What a "tear jerker!" [9] It was screened at Cinequest Film Festival, South by Southwest, the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival, the Sarasota Film Festival, the Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival, the Calgary International Film Festival, and the Edmonton International Film Festival, among others, before receiving a limited theatrical release in the United States, opening in one city at a time in select metropolitan areas. When a provincial court ruled that enough evidence pointed to Turner as Bagby's killer, she was put in jail and Bagby's parents, David and Kathleen, were awarded custody of Zachary. There’s also a little memory box for Zachary, though it is “virtually empty,” he said. But when Shirley Turner was released on bail in Canada and was given custody of Zachary while awaiting extradition to the U.S., the film's focus shifted to Zachary's grandparents, David & Kathleen Bagby, and their desperate efforts to win custody of the boy from the woman they knew had murdered their son. David Bagby vowed to “scream long and loud about that.”. Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion and encourage all readers to share their views on our articles. From the start, Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father is a one-of-a-kind documentary. It goes to a grief too deep for crying,” Kate Bagby testified. Bagby's parents, friends, and associates were uneasy about the relationship because of what they saw as Turner's off-putting behavior. Like The Thin Blue Line, Dear Zachary borrows some narrative dramatic tricks, and they pay off remarkably well. Comments may take up to an hour for moderation before appearing on the site. This true story never needed to happen. Filmmaker Kurt Kuenne, Andrew's oldest friend, began making a film for little Zachary as a way for him to get to know the father he'd never meet. But when Shirley Turner was released on bail in Canada and was given custody of Zachary while awaiting extradition to the U.S., the film's focus shifted to Zachary's grandparents, David & Kathleen Bagby, and their desperate efforts to win custody of the boy from the woman they knew had murdered their son. Zachary’s mother, Newfoundland native Dr. Shirley Turner, had taken the toddler in her arms and jumped into the Atlantic Ocean. “DEAR ZACHARY is one of the best documentaries you will see and it may actually be the best that I’ve EVER seen. [9] It premiered at the Slamdance Film Festival in January 2008. ‘Are you kidding? The film, released in 2008 entitled Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father, had been intended as a tribute to Andrew Bagby that Zachary could appreciate when he got older. “And the symbolism of that pisses me off again.”. You’ve got to release this publicly,’” Kuenne recalled. I highly recommend reading the investigation if you found interest in the documentary. Kuenne's attempts to arrange interviews with the prosecutors and judges who facilitated Turner's freedom were rebuffed. Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father is a 2008 documentary by Kurt Kuenne and a triumphantly moving dedication and celebration to a deceased man … Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father is a 2008 documentary by Kurt Kuenne and a triumphantly moving dedication and celebration to a deceased man … One of the Best Films of 2008 Dear Zachary: a letter to a song about his father ... 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