Amazon has picked up “Pistorius,” a four-part documentary about the South African runner who killed his model girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp. Originally made as a feature-length documentary, Amazon will roll it out exclusively around the world on Prime Video as a series. The project was made by director Vaughan Sivell over three years.
Pistorius shot and killed Steenkamp in her home in Pretoria, South Africa, in the early hours of Valentine’s Day 2013. Sivell secured access to key players in the subsequent trial, which saw Pistorius jailed and prompted controversy and worldwide media attention.
A noted Paralympian, Pistorius became the first amputee to compete at the Olympics. His conviction for killing Steenkamp was amended in 2015, from culpable homicide to murder, and his prison sentence extended after scrutiny by South African lawmakers in the wake of the trial. He is currently in prison.
Sivell’s previous documentary work includes a film about boxer Joe Calzaghe. In “Pistorius” he puts the titular former athlete’s trial and case into the wider context of South African society.
Amazon released a trailer, Tuesday, ahead of the series bowing on Prime globally on Sep. 6. It shows family members talking about Pistorius, experts discussing the trial, and excerpts from the court proceedings.