The Angola 3: Black Panthers and the Last Slave Plantation tells the gripping story of Robert King, Herman Wallace and Albert Woodfox, men who have endured solitary confinement longer than any known living prisoner in the United States. Politicized through contact with the Black Panther Party while inside Louisiana's prisons, they formed one of the only prison Panther chapters in history and worked to organize other prisoners into a movement for the right to live like human beings. This feature length movie explores their extraordinary struggle for justice while incarcerated in Angola, a former slave plantation where institutionalized rape and murder made it known as one of the most brutal and racist prisons in the United States. The analysis of the Angola 3's political work, and the criminal cases used to isolate and silence them, occurs within the context of the widespread COINTELPRO being carried out in the 1960's and 70's by the FBI and state law enforcement against militant voices for change.

In a partial victory, the courts exonerated Robert King of the original charges and released him in 2001; he continues the fight for the freedom of his two brothers. The ongoing campaign, which includes a civil case soon to come before the Supreme Court, is supported by people and organizations such as Amnesty International, the A.C.L.U., Harry Belafonte, Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield of Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream, Ramsey Clark, Sen. John Conyers, Sister Helen Prejean, (the late) Anita Roddick, Bishop Desmond Tutu and the ANC. Herman Wallace and Albert Woodfox have now endured as political prisoners in solitary confinement for over thirty-five years.

Narrated by Mumia Abu-Jamal, The Angola 3 features interviews with former Panthers, political prisoners and revolutionaries, including the Angola 3 themselves, and Bo Brown, Geronimo (ji Jaga) Pratt, Malik Rahim, Yuri Kochiyama, David Hilliard, Rod Coronado, Noelle Hanrahan, Kiilu Nyasha, Marion Brown, Luis Talamantez, Gail Shaw and many others.

Thanks to PM Press for Creative Commons licensing. Portions of the proceeds from the sale of the film go to support the Angola 3.

This fascinating and incendiary documentary covers the full controversial history of the radical movement, MOVE, created by John Africa in the 1970s Philadelphia, and up to the near-current. The story is analyzed by its neighbours, Philadelphia journalists and other outside opinions, and told through interviews with current MOVE members, supporters, and the MOVE 9 - political prisoners who are currently serving 100 years each despite a clear lack of evidence. Racism runs rampant in this heartbreaking account of contemporary state violence against its own citizens. Narrated by Howard Zinn.

Will Francome was born on December 9th 1981... On the same day 3000 miles away, Mumia Abu-Jamal, Black Panther and radical journalist, was arrested and charged with the murder of a police officer.

Mumia Abu-Jamal's has, through his journalism and radio broadcasts from death row, taken his case far beyond the prison walls where he has attracted massive support from organisations like Amnesty International, World Leaders like Nelson Mandela and been made an honorary citizen of 25 cities. As Mumia faces his 26th year on Death Row, William Francome embarks on a journey that will take him to the heart of the American Judicial system and the centre of a political storm that erupted in the Sixties and continues to divide America.

"In Prison My Whole Life" follows William as he explores the circumstances surrounding Mumia's arrest and the how in the intervening years he has become known as the "Voice of the Voiceless", commenting on issues from race and equality to justice and Marxism. Featuring interviews with some of America's most influential minds, never-seen-before footage and brand new evidence, the documentary takes us through a decades old struggle for justice and equality, and uncovers a man who is equally an inspiration to some and a pariah to others.

The world's most famous and controversial death-row inmate has come to symbolize a chapter in American history many would rather forget and his journalism a threat the authorities would like to suppress. As evidence of his innocence mounts, his case is becoming harder to ignore...

"In Prison My Whole Life" features interviews with Amy Goodman, Linn Washington, Ramona Africa, Noam Chomsky, Pedro Polakoff, Billy Cook, Pam Africa, Angela Davis, Mos Def, Snoop Dog, Alice Walker, Steve Earle and more.

Extraordinary though Mumia's story is, he is only one of 3,350 people currently on death row in the United States. This film allows him not only to speak to us, but also on behalf of those others who cannot find a voice.

The Animal Liberation Front, comprised of clandestine animal rights activists, is now labeled the number one domestic terrorist threat by the FBI. Director Shannon Keith goes Behind the Mask and captures the hearts and souls of men and women who unveil their individual struggles for Animal Liberation.

Who are these "animal liberationists" and why do they believe that breaking the law is the best way to help animals? What inspires them to challenge the status quo, fight against all odds, and endure public reproach?

Behind the Mask exposes never-before-seen footage that reveals the extent to which these individuals will go to save the lives of animals. People of all ages and backgrounds, from all over the globe, tell their tales of liberation, incarceration, sacrifice and determination, while exclusive underground footage reveals heart-thumping action sure to leave you wondering, who are these people...?

Featuring: Keith Mann, John Feldman, Rod Coronado, Kevin Jonas, Steven Best, Chris DeRose, Melanie Arnold, Ingrid Newkirk, Rich Mclellan, Ronnie Lee, Paul Watson and Jerry Vlasak.

Awards & Festivals: Documentary of the Year by Veg News 2006, Winner Best Documentary, Independent Features Film Festival 2007, Winner Best Documentary, Santa Clarita Valley Film Festival 2007, Winner Best Documentary, Other Venice Film Festival 2007, Official Selection at the Reeleart Film Festival, Toronto, Official Selection at the Artivist Film Festival, Los Angeles. Thanks to PM Press for licensing.

"Be The Change You Want to See" is a promotional video for the services provided by the Edmonton John Howard Society. But more than just self-promotion, the video - which profiles three of the agency's past clients - demonstrates the value of employing restorative justice models to promote justice for victims, compassion for offenders, and healing for both.

Edmonton John Howard Society is a not-for-profit, community-based crime prevention agency that provides assistance to people in conflict with the law, their families, those who have the potential to be in conflict with the law, and victims of crime. EJHS works to eradicate the root causes of crime to help build safety and harmony in our community.

* This film is part of our Restorative Justice Panel Discussion that starts at 2pm. Come listen to representatives from the John Howard Society (Provincial Office), the National Farmers Union (prison farms), the Mediation & Restorative Justice Centre, and the Edmonton Drug Treatment & Community Restoration Court, and find out why Restorative Justice is an arguably better alternative to conservative "tough on crime" measures. The panel is expected to last about 1 hour, and a short Q & A period will follow. We'll also touch upon the issue of the Conservative Government's plans to 'reform' the Canadian Prison Industry along the lines of the (utterly failed) U.S. for-profit prison system - Canadians need to better participate in these critical issues that will affect the well-being of ALL citizens! See the SPEAKERS & SKILLSHARES page for more info on our Restorative Justice Panel participants.

* EJHS is hosting ESPA's MURAL PROJECT, to be installed Summer 2010. More TBA!

In prison slang to "shoot a kite" is to send a message. In 1998, as co-hosts of the rural, Appalachian region's only hip-hop radio program, media artists Nick Szuberla and Amelia Kirby received hundreds of letters from inmates recently transferred from distant cities into two new, local SuperMax prisons. The prisoners' letters described racism and human rights violations, and Szuberla and Kirby responded with artistic projects, including bringing hip-hop artists together with mountain musicians and organizing radio broadcasts for prisoners' families. Thus, Thousand Kites was born, and filming for "Up the Ridge" began later that year.

"Up The Ridge" is an outgrowth of the radio project. Through the lens of Wallens Ridge State Prison, it offers viewers an in-depth look at the U.S. prison industry and the social impact of moving hundreds of thousands of inner-city minority offenders to rural distant outposts like the SuperMax prisons in Appalachia. The film explores competing political agendas that align government policy with human rights violations, and political expediencies that bring communities into racial and cultural conflict with tragic consequences. Connections exist, in both practice and ideology, between human rights violations in Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo and physical and psychological abuse recorded in U.S. prisons.

AWARDS: Best Documentary, Athens International Film and Video Festival; John Michaels Award, Big Muddy Film Festival.

Thousand Kites is now a national project that works directly with stakeholders using communication strategies and campaigns to engage citizens and build grassroots power. It uses performance, web, video, and radio to open a public space for incarcerated people, corrections officials, the formerly incarcerated, grassroots activists, and ordinary citizens to dialogue and organize around the U.S. criminal justice system.

Thousand Kites believes that the criminal justice system is the most pressing civil rights issue in the United States; that breaking down the silence surrounding the U.S. criminal justice system through storytelling and listening helps people find effective solutions to over-incarceration in their communities; and, because policy follows public perception, ensuring that there is ample opportunity for free and open dialogue demands that all communities work together for media justice.

When men in a prison art class propose painting an outdoor mural, they run into resistance. Crime victims and victim advocates question the project and its message. Working with the City of Philadelphia Mural Arts Program, the groups then struggle to create a mural about crime, restoration and healing--for both prisoners and victims. The result is more than they expect. As the participants begin to work together, mistrust gives way to genuine moments of human contact and common purpose. Their struggle and the insights gained are reflected in the art they produce.

In a country with the highest incarceration rate in the world, "Concrete, Steel & Paint" does not point to easy answers, but does underscore the need for dialogue and new approaches to finding justice and reconciliation. "Concrete, Steel & Paint" is brand new - tell others!

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