If he deems an issue valid, Sean Penn will make thetime to tackle it.And that’s no simple matter, given the active pace ofthe two-time Oscar winner’s career. Recently honoredagain as best actor for his title performance in “Milk,”Penn is both narrator and executive producer of “WitchHunt,” a documentary about several parents sent toprison in the mid-1980s for alleged child molestation inBakersfield, Calif.

The world premiere screening of “Witch Hunt” at the Toronto International Film Festival had just ended with a standing ovation, and we were all moving to the front of the theater for our Q&A session with the audience. It took a while to get everybody up there because we had a big entourage with us -- almost all of the people whose lives are examined in the film were there to be part of this special day.

When the crowd quieted down a bit, a hand went up.

“Will this film ever be shown in Bakersfield?” We all looked at each other for an answer. My co-director, Dana Nachman, took the mic and answered simply, “We hope so.”

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Actors Sean Penn (L) and Tim Robbins attend the after party for 'Witch Hunt' held at Vertical during the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival on Septmeber 7, 2008 in Toronto, Canada.

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 By John Horn|November 01, 2008

Documentary filmmakers Dana Nachman and Don Hardy are drawn to miscarriage-of-justice stories -- their past television work includes a look at the Japanese American internment during World War II. Yet Nachman and Hardy longed to find a modern tale of a misguided prosecution that was unfolding in front of their eyes and cameras, rather than one they had to piece together from the past.

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