EMPOWERING THE YARD
Set in Oklahoma, where more women are incarcerated per capita than anywhere else in the country, Empowering the Yard looks at HIV prevention from the perspective of incarcerated women who are using peer education to empower themselves, their families, and their communities.The HIV Peer Education Program provides an opportunity for incarcerated women to teach each other about the issues they face including safe sex, sexually transmitted infections, drugs, and violence. The documentary follows five HIV Peer Educators who explain why incarceration rates for women are so high and speak to the self-esteem and empowerment they have gained through the HIV Peer Education Program.
Role: Co-Director, Co-Editor
Screenings:
“I feel like I don’t exist sometimes - you know - I feel like I stopped existing when I went to jail.”
Amakula Kampala International Film Festival – Kampala, Uganda; November 2009
Global Voices International Film Festival, presented by the United Nations Association of Greater Boston -Boston, MA, U S A; October 2009
Kenya International Film Festival – Nairobi, Kenya; October 2009
Global Peace Film Festival – Orlando, FL, U S A; September 2009
Singapore Shorts Film Festival – Singapore; September 2009
American Documentary Showcase – Kampala, Uganda; August 2009
American Documentary Showcase – Nairobi, Kisumu, Mombassa, Kenya; August 2009
Show Off Your Shorts Film Festival – Beverly Hills, CA, U S A; February 2009
Tulsa United Film Festival – Tulsa, OK, U S A; December 2008
Press:
“Movies not window on real America,” The Standard, Kenya – September 20, 2009
“Filmmaker shines light on incarceration of women,” San Francisco Examiner, Local; USA – August 21, 2009
“Student documentary goes global,” San Francisco State University News, USA – July 24, 2009