5 finalists for the first-ever Sing Sing Movie Competition award had been introduced right now by The Marshall Challenge, the nonprofit newsroom protecting legal justice.
The award winner can be introduced on Oct. 24 by a jury of 5 males incarcerated in Sing Sing jail in Ossining, New York, earlier than an viewers of incarcerated folks, New York state corrections officers and outdoors visitors.
The Marshall Challenge is dedicated to offering information and knowledge to incarcerated audiences. Together with the print journal Information Inside and video sequence Inside Story, the Sing Sing Movie Competition is a part of The Marshall Challenge’s effort to deliver useful and recent views behind jail partitions.
The 5 documentary options on the shortlist are:
“It is a actual first in New York,” stated Lawrence Bartley of The Marshall Challenge. “Prison justice movies haven’t historically been subjected to the judgment of people that actually know the system from the within.
“Incarcerated folks have related experience right here,” stated Bartley, who’s writer of The Marshall Challenge Inside, the information merchandise for jail audiences produced by the Pulitzer Prize-winning newsroom. “The Marshall Challenge organized this movie pageant as a result of we wished to acknowledge the worth and significance of this viewers.” Practically 2 million persons are incarcerated in prisons and jails throughout America.
The 5 finalists had been chosen by Marshall Challenge employees from amongst almost 40 legal justice documentaries launched within the final two years. The movies had been then reviewed by officers from the New York Division of Corrections and Neighborhood Supervision earlier than being submitted to the incarcerated jury of 5 males.
Documentary filmmaker El Sawyer visited Sing Sing in August to coach the jury on the way to consider movies. He spent 5 hours with the lads at Sing Sing, discussing the finer factors of viewing and critiquing movies to guage the readability and energy of storytelling, cinematography and the movie’s authenticity in depicting the lived experiences of incarcerated and justice-impacted folks.
A program of brief movies may even be screened on the pageant on Oct. 24:
San Quentin Media Middle in a Field by Rahsaan Thomas
Sam and Omar by Nadav Kurtz
Inside Story — alternatives from the brand new season of The Marshall Challenge’s tv present for incarcerated audiences
All supplies can be submitted to the jury on DVD as a result of there isn’t a web in jail.
“On condition that my movie explores points inside our legal justice system, I’m grateful for this chance to contribute to a dialogue that’s each sincere and impactful,” stated Débora Souza Silva, director of For Our Kids. “I hope this initiative by The Marshall Challenge’s Sing Sing Movie Competition conjures up significant adjustments in legal justice reform and fosters a deeper reflection on how such points are documented.”
“Each movie I watch from right here on out, I’m going to be critiquing it … to see the event of the characters, to see if the surroundings is a personality within the film itself,” stated Alonzo Miles, a jury member incarcerated at Sing Sing.
“Sing Sing Correctional Facility is happy to supply a brand new academic alternative to our inhabitants of incarcerated people,” stated Sing Sing Superintendent Marlyn Kopp. “The prospect to be taught concerning the artwork and methods of movie, to develop and draft critiques of the chosen legal justice-themed movies and choose a winner for the movie pageant offers worth to the opinions of the incarcerated people.
“It opens up communication with the lads inside and folks on the skin,” Kopp continued. “We’re glad to collaborate with The Marshall Challenge and host this movie pageant.”
Please attain out to Rahima Nasa Kazmi at rkazmi@themarshallproject.org to be taught extra concerning the Sing Sing Movie Competition.
