Official Selections
These films represent the breadth of experience that folks impacted by incarceration live through. From poetically moving artist retellings of the incarceration survivor experience to specific calls to action to change the system, all amplify and celebrate the authentice voice and work of incarceration survivors.
Space To Breathe (2024)
Space to Breathe is an Afrofuturist science fiction hybrid documentary, framed with a future where there are no prisons or police. The year is 2070 and Sojourner is a young genderqueer filmmaker who sets out to understand how abolition came to through history's archives on the movements of the early 21st Century.
Juicebox P. Burton, Director
The Candle (2024)
Children of incarcerated parents may look fine from the outside, but they are often dealing with trauma and anxiety from their parents’ confinement. Through The Candle, Jessie shows us the overlooked impact of incarceration on children and their village.
Overcome by abuse, a teenage black boy is forced to choose between pulling the trigger or not in an effort to protect himself. In turn, we are split between two realities of fate - the dream or a dream deferred.
Jessie Mabrey, Director
Jessie has over 15 years experience supporting women impacted by homelessness, addiction, domestic violence, and mental health challenges. She is a member of National Alliance on Mental Health (NAMI), Georgia Mental Health Consumer Network (GMHCN), National Incarceration Association (NIA), and Family Unification Network. Jessie is also a Certified Peer Specialist, Certified Forensic Peer Mentor and Certified Stephen Minister.
The Cure Complex (2025)
"The Cure Complex" uncovers the systemic failures that perpetuate Substance Use Disorder through ineffective "evidence-based" practices and exposes how these systems, similar to the criminal justice system and driven by Big Pharma, trap individuals in cycles of dependency through fear and control instead of empowering them to rebuild their lives.
John Michael Medina Jr, Director
Raised in an unstable household, John's early years were marked by turmoil that led to gang involvement and multiple incarcerations, a product of the school-to-prison pipeline. While incarcerated, he made the pivotal decision to earn his GED, a significant first step toward change.
The birth of his second child in 2007 was a profound wake-up call, motivating him to pursue higher education. The transition was difficult, and he often struggled with substance abuse to cope with past trauma. Despite these setbacks, he persevered, learning that true transformation begins from within through self-acceptance.
His story is one of resilience, justice, and overcoming labels and stigma. Today, he is a sober father of two and holds a Master’s in Social Work from California State University, East Bay. He is now launching a nonprofit dedicated to helping individuals overcome addiction through purpose, connection, and action, turning his hard-earned lessons into a mission to help others reclaim their lives.
The Quilters (2024)
In Licking, Missouri, a quilting group in a men's maximum security prison sews birthday quilts for every foster child in the county. Through this process and the powerful relationships forged, these men transform. Their self-perception shifts and they redefine their relationship with the community outside which has long forgotten them.
Jenifer McShane, Director
Weekend Visits (2025)
Filmed over a single afternoon, Weekend Visits focuses on the relationships between incarcerated parents and their children. Jessi, a 29-year-old mother from rural Virginia has spent the past seven years in prison. Her child, Ryleigh, is nine and has few memories of life before Jessi was incarcerated. The film quietly observes this brief moment in their lives as they spend a rare day together at an extended visitation house, playing games, cooking meals, and trying their best to pretend everything is normal.
Pete Quandt, Director
Where's My Coffee Cup (2025)
At 64 and still in prison, John must navigate trauma and aging in a space that is not designed for a geriatric population. Like others, he faces the challenges of stairs, top bunks, food that is not made for human consumption, timely and adequate health care, and the everyday risks of violence and exploitation. John’s story is a call and a demand for compassion and justice.
Yehuda Sharim, Director
