Reasonable Doubt

Reasonable Doubt is an official selection of the 48 Hour Film Project Filmapalooza Yes We Cannes and advanced to the Cannes Film Festival screening on Wednesday, May 22nd in Group A at 11am in the Auditorium H  located on level 3 of the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès.

Nominated for Picture, Best Writing and Best Editing.
WINNER: Best Performance by Rainy Armstrong and Best Use of Line.


"Reasonable Doubt" is a profound narrative of two contrasting realities colliding in a catastrophic vehicular collision. Conceptualized, captured, and post-produced within a compact timeframe of 48 hours specifically on the weekend of December 1st, 2023. This arduous undertaking was part of the "YES WE CANNES" challenge, a subdivision of the esteemed 48 HOUR FILM PROJECT. The winning entries of this competition are bestowed the honor of screening at the widely acclaimed Cannes Film Festival 2024. Garnering nominations for Best Writing and Best Editing, the film emerged victorious in the Best Use of Line and Best Acting, thanks to Rainy Armstrong’s sublime performance.

The creative journey dawned on the eve of that Friday with a predetermined prop, assigned character with a specific name and profession, a line of conversation, and two genres of their selection. In the case of “Reasonable Doubt,” drama was the chosen genre; the prop was a gift; Samantha Morganstitch, a hobbyist, was the identified character; and "You can count on me" served as the crucial dialogue line.

"Reasonable Doubt," a succinct thriller drama of seven minutes, weaves a tale of a cvastating vehicular accident where a mother is bereaved of her son under circumstances mired with uncertainty, as the guilty party refuses to divulge the identity of the driver or recount the events that transpired. The production found its settings in the rustic town of Janesville on December 2, 2023.

A multitude of Janesville destinations was handpicked as filming locations. The exteriors of the Janesville Senior Center, 69 S. Water St., were transformed to replicate a courthouse view. Shot extensively were the Computer Center’s third floor, located within the historic Fredendall Building at 39 S. Main St., its adjacent parking lot, and the basement of Hometown Pharmacy, 21 S. Jackson St.

The cast and crew comprised Daniel J. Pico as the director, Matthew M. Jones and Daniel J. Pico credited with the script, Alex Neuhalfen as the producer, Jeff Siljenberg handling cinematography, Sam Sorenson behind the camera, and actors Rainy Armstrong, Amelia Mahrie, Sydney Possinger, Mic Frommelt, Franklin Breit, Clark Blomquist and Maureen Janson.