Believe Me: The Abduction of Lisa McVey
| Believe Me: The Abduction of Lisa McVey | |
|---|---|
| Written by | Christina Welsh |
| Directed by | Jim Donovan |
| Starring | Katie Douglas Rossif Sutherland David James Elliott |
| Original language | English |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | Charles Tremayne Jeff Vanderwal |
| Original release | |
| Network | Showcase (Canada) Lifetime (USA) |
| Release | September 30, 2018 |
Believe Me: The Abduction of Lisa McVey is a multi-award winning television film, which premiered in 2018 on Lifetime in the United States, and on Showcase in Canada.[1] The film stars Katie Douglas, Rossif Sutherland, and David James Elliott. It was directed by Jim Donovan. The film recounts the true story of Lisa McVey who was abducted and raped for 26 hours by serial killer Bobby Joe Long in 1984. This was after Bobby Joe Long began his murder rampage, killing at least 10 women in the Tampa Bay area. Lisa McVey was the only victim to survive Bobby Joe Long after he began murdering women. [2]
In addition to its television broadcast, the film also received a special theatrical screening in Tampa, at the very same theater which Bobby Joe Long was arrested at in 1984. The screening of this movie was attended by the real Lisa McVey Noland.[3]
A "Special Edition" of the film later aired on Lifetime.
Plot
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On her way home from her part-time job, Lisa McVey (Katie Douglas) was abducted by Bobby Joe Long (Rossif Sutherland). Although she successfully escaped thanks to a reverse psychology trick, her reports to her family of what had happened were initially disbelieved until she found a police officer (David James Elliott) who was investigating similar crimes.
Cast
- Katie Douglas as Lisa McVey
- Deanna Interbartolo as Young Lisa McVey
- Rossif Sutherland as Bobby Joe Long
- David James Elliott as Detective Larry Pinkerton
- Megan Fahlenblock as Betty
- Catherine Tait as Aunt Carol
- Lisa McVey Noland as herself
Awards
The film won the Canadian Screen Award for Best TV Movie and Best Writing in a Television Film (Christina Welsh), at the 8th Canadian Screen Awards in 2020. It was also nominated for Best Lead Performance in a Television Film or Miniseries (Douglas), Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series or Program (Sutherland), Best Direction in a Television Film (Donovan), and Best Photography in a Drama Program or Series (Sasha Moric).[4]
Douglas received an ACTRA Award nomination for Outstanding Performance by an Actress from ACTRA's Toronto chapter in 2019.[5] The film received three Directors Guild of Canada award nominations, for Best Production Design in a Television Film (Helen Kotsonis), Best Editing in a Television Film (Lisa Grootenboer) and Best Sound Editing in a Television Film (Brian Eimer, Michael Bonini).[6]
References
- ^ Lloyd Sowers, "'Believe Me': Hillsborough deputy's survival story now a Lifetime movie". WTVT, September 27, 2018.
- ^ Kelly Schremph, "Is 'Believe Me' Based On A True Story? The Lifetime Movie Follows Lisa McVey's Harrowing Tale Of Survival". Bustle, September 30, 2018.
- ^ "Movie based on survivor of Tampa serial killer premieres". WTVT, October 2, 2018.
- ^ Heather Cichowski, "2020 Canadian Screen Awards: 'Schitt's Creek' dominates with 26 nominations". Hello! Canada, February 18, 2020.
- ^ Kelly Townsend, "Tantoo Cardinal among ACTRA Toronto 2019 nominees". Playback, January 16, 2019.
- ^ Connie Thiessen, "Jasmin Mozaffari’s Firecrackers leads DGC Award nominations". Broadcast Dialogue, September 12, 2019.