Life Outside

Life Outside: Collateral Damage” is a documentary film that explores life after prison, giving a voice to the over 700,000 people released each year in the US, over 63% of whom are likely to end up back behind bars. Through compelling personal life-stories, “Life Outside” explores the obstacles encountered as former inmates try to fully reintegrate back into society and reclaim their rights as citizens. It also looks at the impact several formerly incarcerated individuals  are having as they work to reshape social services and the criminal justice system based on their first hand experiences.  Susan Burton, Shon Hopwood and Michael Santos are inspiring examples who make a compelling case for the power of second chances and redemption!

In 2015, Life Outside was awarded a grant by the Foundation For Criminal Justice. This grant has been used to film initial interviews with some of our subjects and to assist with the casting and research process. In addition, we have been building a coalition of support from non-profits with a vested interest in supporting the film through social media, along with soliciting these organizations’ support for casting, research and distribution.  


Producer / Director Katrina Parks has worked for over a decade in television, producing and writing documentary and reality programs for networks including A&E, Discovery, Food Network, Fox, History, PBS, Planet Green, The Learning Channel and Travel Channel. She has received grants from state humanities councils, museums and foundations for her documentary projects.  Most recently, Katrina completed her full-length directorial debut “The Harvey Girls: Opportunity Bound”, an historical documentary about how over 100,000 railroad station waitresses opened up the American West and the workplace to women.  The film received a nomination from the James Beard Society and has been broadcast on over a dozen PBS stations across the country. Katrina has also spearheaded distribution and marketing campaigns for several social-issue documentary films and programs, including “Tapped” and “The New Jewish Filmmaking Project”. Katrina has a BFA from the University of New Mexico in painting and drawing, and an MFA from San Francisco State University in Film Production.  She is a board member of the non-profit Cinefemme and a member of WIF, the PGA and the IDA. 

Producer Shon Hopwood is a Gates Public Service Law Scholar at the University of Washington School of Law. In addition to the legal knowledge he brings to “Life Outside”, Shon’s personal experience of transforming his life through working in a prison law library, where he learned to write briefs for other prisoners, informs the film. Two of those briefs he prepared were granted review by the United States Supreme Court, and the story of his legal success was the subject of articles in the New York Times, NPR, and the Saturday Evening Post.  Shon has also become an advocate for many prisoners behind bars.  He has written about the need for criminal justice reform at the Atlantic.com, Huffington Post, and the Seattle Times. And in August of 2012, Random House published his memoir Law Man: My Story of Robbing Banks, Winning Supreme Cases and Finding Redemption.  Shon is currently a clerk for the DC Court of Appeals.

 

DONATE TO THIS PROJECT:

Cinefemme's Federal Tax EIN Number is 52-237-4579.  Our address is 1014 Broadway #477 in Santa Monica, CA.  Donations to this project can be made via the donation button above, through a charitable fund, or by check.  Checks should be made out to Cinefemme and have "Life Outside" written in the memo section.  Checks must be mailed to:

Cinefemme

1014 Broadway #477

Santa Monica, CA  90401

Life Outside

Life Outside: Collateral Damage” is a documentary film that explores life after prison, giving a voice to the over 700,000 people released each year in the US, over 63% of whom are likely to end up back behind bars. Through compelling personal life-stories, “Life Outside” explores the obstacles encountered as former inmates try to fully reintegrate back into society and reclaim their rights as citizens. It also looks at the impact several formerly incarcerated individuals  are having as they work to reshape social services and the criminal justice system based on their first hand experiences.  Susan Burton, Shon Hopwood and Michael Santos are inspiring examples who make a compelling case for the power of second chances and redemption!

In 2015, Life Outside was awarded a grant by the Foundation For Criminal Justice. This grant has been used to film initial interviews with some of our subjects and to assist with the casting and research process. In addition, we have been building a coalition of support from non-profits with a vested interest in supporting the film through social media, along with soliciting these organizations’ support for casting, research and distribution.  


Producer / Director Katrina Parks has worked for over a decade in television, producing and writing documentary and reality programs for networks including A&E, Discovery, Food Network, Fox, History, PBS, Planet Green, The Learning Channel and Travel Channel. She has received grants from state humanities councils, museums and foundations for her documentary projects.  Most recently, Katrina completed her full-length directorial debut “The Harvey Girls: Opportunity Bound”, an historical documentary about how over 100,000 railroad station waitresses opened up the American West and the workplace to women.  The film received a nomination from the James Beard Society and has been broadcast on over a dozen PBS stations across the country. Katrina has also spearheaded distribution and marketing campaigns for several social-issue documentary films and programs, including “Tapped” and “The New Jewish Filmmaking Project”. Katrina has a BFA from the University of New Mexico in painting and drawing, and an MFA from San Francisco State University in Film Production.  She is a board member of the non-profit Cinefemme and a member of WIF, the PGA and the IDA. 

Producer Shon Hopwood is a Gates Public Service Law Scholar at the University of Washington School of Law. In addition to the legal knowledge he brings to “Life Outside”, Shon’s personal experience of transforming his life through working in a prison law library, where he learned to write briefs for other prisoners, informs the film. Two of those briefs he prepared were granted review by the United States Supreme Court, and the story of his legal success was the subject of articles in the New York Times, NPR, and the Saturday Evening Post.  Shon has also become an advocate for many prisoners behind bars.  He has written about the need for criminal justice reform at the Atlantic.com, Huffington Post, and the Seattle Times. And in August of 2012, Random House published his memoir Law Man: My Story of Robbing Banks, Winning Supreme Cases and Finding Redemption.  Shon is currently a clerk for the DC Court of Appeals.

 

DONATE TO THIS PROJECT:

Cinefemme's Federal Tax EIN Number is 52-237-4579.  Our address is 1014 Broadway #477 in Santa Monica, CA.  Donations to this project can be made via the donation button above, through a charitable fund, or by check.  Checks should be made out to Cinefemme and have "Life Outside" written in the memo section.  Checks must be mailed to:

Cinefemme

1014 Broadway #477

Santa Monica, CA  90401