Like April, 90% of youth who come to be involved in the justice system have had prior traumatic experiences. April’s life virtually began in the foster care system, and spent her formative years in households and spaces where she was abused and mistreated by those entrusted with her safety and wellbeing. At so many points in April’s journey, an adult could have intervened and altered the course of her life for the better. Weaving together documentary and fiction elements, the film shows us those moments to illuminate a cinematic and ultimately magical path to transforming our youth justice system.

Little April

"Every Second" is a poignant short film that delves into the life of Reese, a man who has just been released from prison but finds himself struggling with the reality that he will never be free from his experience of prison.

Every Second

Uncle Wendell shares a centuries old family secret with his great nephews. If the secret gets out, it can effect and infect the entire world. Literally.

In The Matchbox

With no employment and two small children, a mom is pushed to her breaking point.

BANG!

With no employment and two small children, a mom is pushed to her breaking point.

'Shoebox' is a short story about a young man that goes by the name of James, who we will see take that chance and in the end make a choice. This decision leads him to a confrontation with his adversary and the possibility of altering the course of his life. We first meet James well into his adolescent years of life and follow him as he experiences moment after moment of violence and abuse. We are witness to the evolution of James becoming a product of his environment. He reaches the point where enough is enough. James takes life into his own hands and makes the decision to confront the opposition head on. Fighting fire with fire, we find James staring down his enemy with a barrel of a gun. As the BANG of the gun echoes, we abruptly shift to show the two possible paths that his decision could lead him down. As we are introduced to the dual realities of James' decision, we reveal that each reality can see what could have been. Along this journey I’ve noticed that my creative inspirations ultimately come from my personal experiences. Of course, with some stories, amplification plays a hand to push home the message, but all in all I am a product of my environment and decisions. I think we all know a James. He represents the person who has suffered constant abuse from various angles in life and is expected to just deal with it. Young men of color have been forced to carry the terror of abuse, not only from our environment but from the history of terror embedded in our DNA. Being born black and male is being born with the burden to survive rather than to live. It is where our skin makes us targets and our projected power makes us threats. We are the ones who are forced to make decisions when our rational is being suffocated and challenged by an entity that has had the upper hand since day one. 'Shoebox' is not only a visual representation of this, but it is also a call out to think. Think before you speak and to think before you react. We are bred to believe being reactionary is the law of the land and by being confined to this mind state, countless lives of our brothers have been lost and deemed victims of circumstance. What’s right is right and what’s wrong is wrong. We must find a way to turn these conversations into action so that the generations to come may cease to inherit the curses passed down through our forefathers. This film embodies the statement that one wrong move or decision can alter our lives as well as the lives of our families and friends forever. We must move accordingly.

Shoebox

This film was shot in an active jail cell with a formerly incarcerated actor and the singing is by a formerly incarcerated man. The images of successful people represented in the film are merely a sliver of all the success stories and examples across the country folks inside can look to for examples, inspiration, hope, and guidance.

Two Wolves

Prison is dark and hopelessness is darker. But the path forward starts with self-empowerment and there are many examples before and around us of how to reach our potential and achieve liberation.

This comedic short film shows the journey that a paranormal investigative team goes through, with the threat of losing their job, they feel compelled to actually solve a case. When the team interviews one of the subjects that's been experiencing paranormal activity, they become betrayed by one of their own just as they're putting the pieces together.

Paranormal Patrol

With Paranormal Activity plaguing the institution, San Quentins ghost investigative team encounters more than they expected while pursuing a lead.

Coach been doing the same daily routine for years but is unable notice that he is stuck in a rut. After attempting to encourage a Youngster to do something different, Coach is challenged to take his own advise. Being challenged causes Coach to lose his routine but gain his own personal enlightenment. Same Difference is a film by the incarcerated for anybody stuck in a routine.

English

Same Difference

When the same prison day gets old, Coach needs a Youngster to get him to try something different.

Narrative Shorts

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