Southwest of Salem: The Story of the San Antonio Four

Southwest of Salem: The Story of the San Antonio Four excavates the nightmarish persecution of Elizabeth Ramirez, Cassandra Rivera, Kristie Mayhugh, and Anna Vasquez — four Latina lesbians wrongfully convicted of gang-raping two little girls in San Antonio, Texas. This bizarre case is the first to be adjudicated under momentous new legislation: for the first time in U.S. history, wrongfully convicted innocents can challenge convictions based on debunked scientific evidence called ‘Junk Science’. The film also unravels the sinister interplay of mythology, homophobia, and prosecutorial fervor which led to this modern day witch hunt during the ‘Satanic sexual abuse hysteria’ from the late-80’s and early-90’s in the United States. The documentary is generously supported by Sundance Institute | John T. and Catherine D. MacArthur Foundation, Sundance Institute | Arcus Fund, Astraea Global Arts Fund, Chicken & Egg Pictures, Austin Film Society, IFP Spotlight on Docs, Firelight Media, Kindle Project Fund of the Common Counsel Foundation, and Alice Kleberg Reynolds Foundation.