Illuminating the humanity of Talana Kreeger, and the impact of the
LGBTQ hate crime that shook a Southern coastal town.
THE FILM
Park View explores a case that has been shrouded in mystery, revealing the life of one woman, and the religious, legal, and media responses to the aftermath of her death. Park View will lead the viewer on a journey of understanding, from a horrific murder in a coastal Southern town, to the validation of our common humanity.
Years of research suggest that the burying of Talana Kreeger's memory has created a disconnect within the community that continues isolating vulnerable communities decades later. The Park View Project opens a window into the grief and healing of minority cultures that have been typically overlooked or misunderstood by the media, so that the people of Wilmington, NC can tell their own story with authenticity.
Park View has been in development for over fifteen years, with contributions from filmmakers, public agencies, nonprofit organizations, media representatives, elected officials, student interns, and...most importantly...the men and women who lived this story and continue to believe in the need to tell it.
The effort to learn the meaning of Talana Kreeger's life and death, and to make it visible to a larger audience, has always felt like a story that must be told... and would be in its own time. While the risks of delay in completing a dauntingly powerful project such as this are not insignificant... loss of source material, unavailability of subjects, dissipation of interest... it appears that the urgency of LGBTQ human rights is advancing, not diminishing the relevance of this story.
The production team has sustained its commitment to research the facts of this case accurately, while honoring the feelings and lives that were touched by Talana Kreeger. The stark responsibility inherent in documenting a tragedy like the hate crime that took her life has guided this production's respect for the risks and rewards that are shared by the community of people in Wilmington, North Carolina who knew and loved Talana... and continue to suffer the trauma of her murder. Though the development of the Park View Project has certainly reopened old wounds, the deliberate and sensitive approach of this production has affirmed the potential for healing among those closest to the story, as it endeavors to inform and inspire the ascension of LGBTQ human rights worldwide.
We continue to seek information that is relevant to this story, as people are drawn to the power of its message. Photographs and memories of Talana Kreeger, shared by those who knew her, have assisted in filling-in the gaps in our understanding of her life, which has been overshadowed by the horror of her death.
We welcome correspondence from those who wish to help tell Talana's story, and those who would like to support our efforts to advocate for human rights legislation, through the Park View Project.