Amanda Sans & Miquel Galofré | Jamaica, Spain | 2013 | 78’ | English |English subtitles
Hope keeps us alive. This may sound like a silly truism, but for the inmates of the Tower Street Adult Correctional Facility in Kingston, Jamaica, it’s a real thing that keeps them going, as is revealed in Barcelona-born director Miquel Galofré’s harsh, but also heart-warming documentary.
The old prison, once a holding area for African slaves, used to be an obscure place that barely allowed for a humane existence. Most inmates, many of whom convicted for serious crimes, left the prison in a worse state than when they were arrested. Through the inspiring efforts of superintendent Leroy Fairweather times have changed. With support from the European Union a rehabilitation programme centred on training, culture and music was initiated. Music has become a major outlet; the inmates choose powerful tunes of various Jamaican reggae heroes to regale their often-tragic life stories, disappointments, but also expectations for the future. The programme’s effect is huge, not only for the participants, but also for their non-participating fellow inmates. Instead of hopeless defeatism an atmosphere of respect and hope has started to permeate the old building.
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