Created via ‘The Right/Write to Heal Initiative,’ the film unveils the experiences of incarcerated and formerly incarcerated women, who, in their own voices, reflect on the consequences on themselves, their families and their communities.
Columbia Center for Justice and V-Day’s Beyond Incarceration Project, in collaboration with Rehabilitation Through the Arts (RTA) and Human Pictures, created an animated short film through the joint initiative, “Right/Write to Heal: Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women in Their Own Voices.” The 2D film, Doing Time: A Women’s View, unveils the experiences - and their impact - of incarcerated and formerly incarcerated women.
The writers include the Write to Heal initiative’s Jonel Beauvais; Judy Clark; Leah Faria; Selina Fulford; Latisha Morris; Harmony; Betsy Ramos; Edna Sams; Roslyn Smith; and Cheryl Wilkins.
The Right/Write to Heal Initiative stated:
“We believe the time is overdue for women impacted by the justice system to tell their own stories, in their own voices, about how they experienced incarceration and what it has done to their lives on the inside and after being released, acknowledging the harm we have done and the trauma we experienced on our journeys to healing.”
Through Right/Write to Heal, women share how they cope with the consequences of incarceration on themselves, their families, and communities to change how people understand the impact of criminalization on women. Writing and storytelling are therapeutic interventions for people who have experienced loss and trauma and can lead to healing, redemption, and intimacy when shared collectively with those impacted. The program aims to humanize the unique individual and collective experiences of women, particularly women of color, who, from early in their lives, face racism, violence, and structural barriers that lead to punishment and imprisonment.
Take a few minutes to watch the film:
Doing Time - A Woman’s View is produced by Rehabilitation Through the Arts, with Katherine Vockins serving as executive director. Ricki Gold is deputy director.
The film was produced through a collaboration between Columbia University Center for Justice’s co-founder and co-director Cheryl Wilkins and V-Day, Program Manager, Beyond Incarceration, Roslyn Smith. Elizabeth Ruelas and Kimberly Ingram did the voiceover. The animation was by Human Pictures.
Source: V-Day
Debbie Diamond Sarto is news editor at Animation World Network.
