Witness is a
1985 American thriller film released by
Paramount Pictures, and starring
Harrison Ford,
Kelly McGillis and
Lukas Haas. In the film, Ford plays a police officer investigating a murder, with his sole witness being a young Amish boy (Haas) who claims that the murderer was a policeman. It was also the feature film debut of
Viggo Mortensen, who appears in a minor role.
Directed by Australian-born filmmaker
Peter Weir (making his first American film),
Witness was filmed on location in
Philadelphia,
Strasburg and the village of
Intercourse in
Lancaster County,
Pennsylvania. The soundtrack was composed and performed by
Maurice Jarre. The film was
rated R by the
MPAA.
Witness won
Academy Awards for
Best Original Screenplay and
Film Editing. Weir and Ford received nominations for
Best Director and
Best Actor respectively, and the film was nominated for
Best Picture.