In 1998 we premiered THE FARM at the Sundance Film Festival. I couldn’t even sit in the theater, but paced outside  on pure nerves, peeking in from time to time to feel the audience response.  Ninety minutes later the credits rolled, the applause began, the standing ovation and the energy it inspired were harbingers of good times ahead. Its success (we were Grand Jury Prize winners) shaped my career in ways I can never fully understand.

Last week, on June 3rd, over a decade later, I premiered THE FARM: TEN DOWN in Angola Prison.  The setting could not have been further removed from Park City, Utah.  Instead of a big screen in a theater, we were watching on a large size television monitor in the visiting room of the prison. Instead of filmmakers, film fanatics, media, festival directors, there were 400 inmates, guards and administrators.  Then beyond the visiting room the film was being broadcast on Angola’s closed circuit television station so the other 4500 men in the prison could also watch the film and the Q&A that was to follow.

This time I was a lot more nervous.

Read the rest of this entry »

On June 3rd, 2009 Highest Common Denominator Media Group had the honor of screening the new feature documentary THE FARM: 10 DOWN for thousands of inmates serving sentences in Louisiana State Penitentiary.  With the amazing and outstanding help of LSPTv (Louisiana State Penitentiary Television ) the film was screened to the entire inmate population via Angola’s close circuit television (also manned by LSPTv) and a talkback and discussion was filmed.  Check back soon for video content!

Premieres on the National Geographic Channel Tuesday, June 16th
@ 8PM EST.

Please note the official television title of the film is:
A DECADE BEHIND BARS: RETURN TO THE FARM
Read the rest of this entry »