film about capital punishment, although the film, like the case, has been widely cited in discussions about the death penalty. The filmmakers began production with an interview of fire expert Gerald Hurst, the first scientist to review the arson evidence, just before Willingham's execution. (Hurst's work has since been publicly corroborated by scientific experts John Lentini, Craig Beyler, John DeHann, and others.) Mims and Bailey continued to focus upon the science underlying the case in their interviews, but after Texas Governor Rick Perry dismantled the Texas Forensic Science Commission, the film took a new turn, covering each new development in the struggle over the case. This part of the film, more akin to journalism, earned praise for its candor and immediacy. Mims and Bailey were drawn to the Willingham case by the elements of mystery and law chronicled in David Grann's iconic article in The New Yorker, "Trial By Fire."(see above) The film has been called a companion piece to Grann's article, picking up where Grann left off with its depiction of the more recent struggles over the case. The film also addresses the arson evidence first in its narrative, whereas Grann addresses it last. Release and reception At its World Festival Premiere at the SXSW Film Festival, Incendiary won the Louis Black Award. Variety'''s Joe Leydon called it "a frequently unsettling account of how dubious 'science' possibly led to an irreversible miscarriage of justice." At its East Coast Festival Premiere at AFI/Discovery Silverdocs, Incendiary was an audience favorite. Art Levine of The Huffington Post called Incendiary "A gripping, visually stunning indictment of a miscarriage of justice as great as that chronicled in Errol Morris's groundbreaking THE THIN BLUE LINE..." In limited theatrical release in the fall of 2011, the film was a "critic's pick" of The Washington Post, The Village Voice, The Austin Chronicle, The Los Angeles Times and The Dallas Morning News. Ann Hornaday of The Washington Post wrote: "nonfiction filmmaking at its most classic. Crime, punishment, morality and hardball politics make for an explosive narrative mix all their own." Sheri Linden of the Los Angeles Times called Incendiary "alarming viewing for anyone who cares about the American justice system." In 2012 the film was released on iTunes movies, and had continued to screen on-demand in U.S. theaters via Tugg, an audience-driven theatrical distribution tool, until Tugg closed down in January of 2020.Incendiary appeared on Top Ten lists