12 Angry Men

*With the presentation of Ercan Kesal

12 Angry Men is adapted from a teleplay of the same name by Reginald Rose. This trial film tells the story of a jury made up of 12 men as they deliberate the guilt or acquittal of a defendant on the basis of reasonable doubt. In the United States, a verdict in most criminal trials by jury must be unanimous. The film is notable for its almost exclusive use of one set: out of 96 minutes of run time, only three minutes take place outside of the jury room.

12 Angry Men explores many techniques of consensus- building, and the difficulties encountered in the process, among a group of men whose range of personalities adds intensity and conflict. No names are used in the film: the jury members are identified by number until two of them exchange names at the very end, the defendant is referred to as “the boy”, and the witnesses as “the old man” and “the lady across the street”. The film was selected as the second-best courtroom drama ever by the American Film Institute.

USA
96'
1957

Director
Sidney Lumet

Script
Reginald Rose

Awards
Bafta Awards - Best Foreign Actor
Berlin Film Festival - Golden Bear; OCIC Award
Blue Ribbon Awards - Best Foreign Language Film
Bodil Awards - Best American Film
Edgar Allan Poe Awards - Best Motion Picture
Italian National Syndicate of Film Journalists - Best Foreign Film
Kinema Junpo Awards - Best Foreign Language Film
Locarno Film Festival - Special Mention
National Board of Review
USA - NBR Award
Writers Guild of America - Best Written American Drama

Festivals
23rd Festival on Wheels
Justice and Conscience - Ercan Kesal's Pick