One of the great things about documentary films is they reveal the universal truth that nothing Hollywood can dream up matches the strangeness of real life.

I just came from a luncheon with Heartland Film Festival filmmakers, and as you might expect heard a lot of great stories. The topper came from Kurt Kuenne, whose short film, "Validation," is a Crystal Heart winner. While Lou Harry from IBJ and I were chatting him up, we asked about his next project. By the time he finished, my jaw was on the floor.

Kurt decided to make a film about his best friend Andrew, a doctor, who was killed by his ex-girlfriend, also a doctor. Aside from the rarity of a murder where both the victim and perpetrator have taken the Hippocratic oath, what followed was even stranger.

The woman fled to Newfoundland but remained free on bail. Soon it was revealed that she was pregnant with Andrew's baby, whom she named Zachary. As extradition red tape dragged on and the months passed, Andrew's parents found themselves having to negotiate with the woman for custody/visitation rights.

Imagine having to deal in a civil manner with the person who had killed your son in order to be able to see your grandchild. They would have to call to arrange to visit him on Christmas.

Kurt started making "Dear Zachary" as a way to introduce his best friend's son to the father he would never know. It was a personal project that he never intended to distribute.

Things took a horrible turn when the woman killed both herself and Zachary. Now it's become a project about reforming rules for bail. Kurt hopes to sell it to Canadian public television.

If someone tried to make a movie with this premise, studios would reject it as implausible. Amazing.

Find more about the film at www.dearzachary.com.