A jury of five incarcerated men selected the film “Songs From the Hole,” directed by Contessa Gayles, as winner of the top award at the first-ever film festival to be held at Sing Sing prison in Ossining, New York.
Described as a “documentary visual album,” “Songs From the Hole” follows James “JJ’88” Jacobs, a musician serving a double life sentence in California. Set to Jacobs’ music, the film explores his inner struggles as someone who both committed and experienced violent harm: He took a life at 15; three days later, his brother’s life was taken.
The “Excellence in Criminal Justice Storytelling Award” award was given in recognition of the film’s power “to shed light on the complexities of the criminal justice system, amplifying the lived experiences and perspectives of incarcerated people.”
Upon receiving the award, Galyes said, “It’s a real honor to be here and receive this award from this incarcerated jury because we made this film for you all.”
“Daughters,” directed by Angela Patton and Natalie Rae, was awarded the festival’s “Honorable Mention.” The documentary follows the lives of four girls as they prepare to reunite with their fathers at a special “daddy-daughter” dance in the Washington, D.C. jail. The film was recognized for its “powerful depiction of the struggles and hopes of incarcerated people and their families, and the humanizing light it sheds upon all.”
More than one hundred outside guests attended the film festival in the historic prison on the Hudson River. The event was presented by The Marshall Project, a nonprofit newsroom that covers the U.S. criminal justice system.
“A jury of incarcerated people has special expertise in judging documentaries about criminal justice,” said Lawrence Bartley, publisher of The Marshall Project Inside, the magazine and video series produced for incarcerated audiences. “Our film festival recognizes that expertise for the first time in Sing Sing prison today.”
The five jurors were Raheem Edwards, Michael Hoffler, Alonzo Miles, Jonathan Mills, and Noel Rivera.
“We loved all the films, actually,” said Edwards. “Any one of them could have been the winner.”
The jurors led a Q&A with the directors and producers of “Songs From the Hole” and “Daughters,” sharing the reasoning behind the jury’s decision and asking about the filmmakers’ process.
Commissioner Daniel F. Martuscello III of the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision acknowledged the historic nature of the event, saying, “This festival tells the story of the good that [Sing Sing’s] staff and incarcerated people are doing, and how we can create programming that can impact incarcerated people.” The superintendent of Sing Sing, Marlyn Kopp, also welcomed the outside guests.
Award-winning filmmaker and Marshall Project board member Andrew Jarecki moderated a conversation with filmmakers Nadav Kurtz, director of the forthcoming “Sam and Omar Project;” Rahsaan Thomas, co-director of San Quentin Media Center in a Box; and Lawrence Bartley, host and co-creator of “Inside Story,” The Marshall Project’s video series for incarcerated audiences. After screening their short films, the group discussed the role that personal experience of the system plays in criminal justice filmmaking.
Actor and musician Common sent a special video tribute to the festival, which also screened “Four Letters,” a short film that he executive-produced.
The five finalists were selected by Marshall Project staff from among nearly 40 criminal justice documentaries released in the last two years. The films were also reviewed by officials from the New York Department of Corrections and Community Supervision before being submitted to the incarcerated jury of five men. All materials were submitted to the jury on DVD because there is no internet in prison.
Documentary filmmaker El Sawyer trained the jurors on how to evaluate the films. He visited Sing Sing in August to discuss how to critique films and the methods that filmmakers use to tell stories.
The Marshall Project is a nonprofit newsroom founded in 2014 to create and sustain a sense of national urgency about the criminal justice system. Its journalism has frequently had an impact on the system, rendering it more fair, effective, transparent, and humane.
The Marshall Project’s magazine for incarcerated audiences, “News Inside,” circulates in more than 1500 prisons and jails across the country. Its video series, “Inside Story,” is currently broadcasting its second season in hundreds of prisons and jails, as well as via the Scripps-Howard television network. The organization also publishes “Life Inside,” a weekly, first-person column by someone inside the criminal justice system. Hundreds of incarcerated people have published essays with The Marshall Project under this rubric.
The Marshall Project has twice been recognized with the Pulitzer Prize, as well as many other major journalism awards. Its staff of more than 80 people includes several who have been incarcerated themselves and many more whose families have been directly impacted by the system.
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