Hundreds of organization leaders, documentary filmmakers, and community members gathered on the campus of Loyola Marymount University (LMU) for the annual Justice on Trial Film Festival, seeking to learn more about the criminal justice system.
The festival, now in its 10th year, brought over 500 attendees to University Hall on
LMU’s Westchester Campus. Throughout two days, 15 documentary films were showcased, highlighting themes of mass incarceration, prison reform, and restorative justice.
The event was presented by A New Way of Life, a nonprofit organization with the aim of providing development and recovery services to formerly incarcerated women. Since its founding in 1998, the organization has lent housing resources to over 1,800 formerly incarcerated women, reunited 400 women with their families, and granted pro bono legal services to over 3,000 community members navigating convictions.
What initially birthed from a conversation between A New Way of Life founder Susan Burton and award-winning author Michelle Alexander, has emerged into a space where the amplification of creative storytelling intertwines with educational opportunities about the judicial system.
“There were so many films that documentarians were making that were not getting
anywhere to be shown,” Burton said. “There were so many books that people were writing and so many conversations that needed to be had. So, we created the Justice on Trial Film Festival—exposing injustices, exploring solutions.”
For instance, one of the films that was shown was titled, Living Undone. Directed by
Amanda Cryer, this 26-minute documentary focuses on the lack of rehabilitation resources in the U.S. prison system, and how that contributes to the dehumanization that comes with incarceration as a whole.
An executive producer of the film, Marcello Cacioppo, recalled his experiences with
others in the prison system during its screening. “When I watch this and see friends who have gone to prison, I see the good things they have done coming out of it,” Cacioppo said. “How they have pushed themselves to succeed, build their lives, and walk a straight path.”
Jessica Walburn, a formerly incarcerated woman and recent graduate of Women
Organizing for Justice & Opportunity, a six month leadership program offered by A New Way of Life, says events like this help draw attention to the realities of life after prison.
“I don’t think that life after incarceration is being talked about enough,” Walburn said.“ A lot of people tend to resort back to violence and things of that nature. And it’s mostly because of what happens in prisons. There’s an entirely different world inside there.”
Other documentaries that were screened during the festival included Breaking Barriers (Kristel Cosio), Mama, I’m Different (Tabatha Trammell), and Dancing in A-Yard (Manuela Dalle).
Community member Harold Houze Jr. was among those in attendance who wanted to learn about the subject matter. “I was impressed by all of the shorts,” Houze said. “They did what I like documentaries to do, which is to provide insight. And I felt that I was afforded that.”
In addition to the film screenings, the event featured a panel hosted by Bianca Tylek, the founder and executive director of Worth Rises, a New York-based criminal justice advocacy organization. She shared her newly-published book, The Prison Industry: How it Works and Who Profits, educating people on her conducted research to generate hope for a shift in the legal system.
“I think that the legal system is an injustice,” Walburn said. “It’s an injustice within itself. It’s just one big fail.”
A New Way of Life’s impact has been very profound over the past decade, and the Justice on Trial Film Festival has certainly proved that. But even so, Burton still has plans to further expand the organization.
The organization is currently in the process of assembling a campus in the Watts
neighborhood of Los Angeles. “We have the plans, we have the design, and we have the motivation,” Burton said. We’ve just got to get the money.”
Initiatives like such will allow A New Way of Life to continue to fulfill its mission: to
create a holistic environment where formerly incarcerated women can rebuild their lives with dignity, and become agents in their own communities.
