"The Death of Corey Stingley" featured at Milwaukee Film Festival



MILWAUKEE (WITI) -- The controversial death of a Milwaukee teen is coming to the big screen. "The Death of Corey Stingley" is showing Monday night at the Milwaukee Film Festival.

Craig Stingley has made it his mission to get the word out about what happened to his 16-year-old son -- and he caught filmmaker Spencer Chumbley's attention.

"This is someone's brother, sister, son or daughter and you kind of lose that human perspective," said Chumbley.

It's Chumbley's goal to show that in his documentary. He started filming the day the Milwaukee County District Attorney announced that no charges would be filed against three men who restrained Stingley in December 2012. This, after Stingley allegedly shoplifted from a West Allis convenience store. Stingley later died.

"When a family chooses to open their life to you, you have to be very careful and delicate," said Chumbley.

Equally important is to make sure it's balanced -- especially given how controversial it became.

"I've heard some commentary, you know people like whoa, about the subject matter about the film. But the response I have is you cannot find a more even-handed, polished documentary than this film," said Jonathan Jackson of the Milwaukee Film Festival.

Organizers say that another perk to showing a film like this is it brings in a very diverse crowd. People that might not have come to a film festival may walk through the doors.