Sam Bathrick, 2018, 94min
16 Bars is a feature length music documentary that offers a rare glimpse at the human stories — and songs — that are locked away in our nation’s jails and prisons. The film follows a unique rehabilitation effort in a Virginia jail that invites inmates to write and record original music. In the jail’s makeshift recording studio, four men collaborate on an album with Grammy-winning recording artist, Todd “Speech” Thomas, from the hip-hop group Arrested Development. As the creative process unfurls, each of these men must unearth painful memories from the past, which hold a key to a new chapter in their lives. With the U.S. locking up more of its citizens per capita than any other nation on the planet, the music of 16 Bars serves as rare testimony to the raw and messy truth behind the criminal justice system‘s revolving door.
Q&A with Todd “Speech” Thomas to follow screening moderated by Mike Sargent
This screening is a part of the Social Justice Showcase bringing together filmmakers, community organizers, activists, experts, and NYC residents to discuss and educate on the social justice issues that impact the quality of life for NYC residents, this year the showcases theme will be focused on Prison Reform. The showcase is organized by MDC, and the leadership committee from the most recent Community Producers Program (CPP) cohort. The 2019 showcase partners are: Institute for Transformative Mentoring, Documentary Forum at City College, Third Reel Newsreel, Harlem Stage, and the New York Latino Film Festival.
