December 23 marks that 21st anniversary of the murder of six-year-old pageant queen and Boulder resident JonBenét Ramsey — a case long embodied by suspicion and mystery. Family, friends, the Colorado community and the media have struggled to come to terms with this unsolved tragedy ever since — suggesting countless possibilities and explanation for the cold-case.
Twenty-one years later Denver native and film director Andrew Novick is attempting to address the mystery from a new angle. As a collector of sentimental and memorable objects, Novick came across Ramsey’s tricycle while living in Boulder during the time of the killing. With the help of a small team, Novick has ventured to create JonBenet’s Tricycle, an investigative 88-minute film to tackle the unsolved mystery that has puzzled so many.
“Out of the multitudes of things I collect, I have always thought that JonBenet Ramsey’s Tricycle had a bigger story to tell,” said Novice. “The original idea was a short film about taking the trike to psychics but, as the project grew, it became much more about the wider pop culture of collecting, unsolved crime, tragedy and media. It was clear early on that this was a feature-length story.”
As for the tricycle, Novick said he “cannot legally say” how he acquired the tricycle or several other objects in the film. This, along with the macabre nature of the movie may bring up some ethical issues for viewers. But according to Novick, he has a larger goal in mind.
“We are all part of the culture and media control of high profile stories like this and I am trying to expose it, while definitely being a glaring example of it,” he said.
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The screening will take place in Denver’s Pavilions Theatre, November 11 at 4 p.m. and November 12 at 2 p.m. as a part of Denver Film Festival. It originally premiered last year at the festival but Novick hopes this second screening will help it gain more traction so it can stream in larger markets and even on DVD following the premiere.
“As all filmmakers do, I hope to have some sort of theatrical release, but it will definitely be available for streaming and hopefully DVD and other related items,” said Novick. “As this is the first festival, it is too early to know how the film will be distributed, but I want to unleash it upon the world in all ways possible.”
Tickets for the release can be purchased here. Whether you’re looking for answers or are simply intrigued by this long-time Colorado cold case, the documentary is sure to bring creativity and hope to the infamous event.