User:Gwlnl/sandbox/12th Street (documentary)

12th Street is a 2021 documentary profiling the first moments of freedom for newly released prisoners from Huntsville State Prison in Texas. Each year 25,000 inmates are released in Huntsville — one of the largest prison towns in America. Monday through Friday, the glass doors swing open on the front of the Civil War-era, red-brick prison they call The Walls. The inmates exit and shuffle along the sidewalk, some smiling, some pensive, all shouldering onion sacks full of belongings. With no one to greet them, most of them stream past the private homes and prison offices toward the Greyhound bus station three blocks away. For hours, until buses have carried them off, there are lines of released prisoners everywhere near the station: a line for bus tickets, a line to cash prison checks, a line to buy new clothes.

This documentary features a number of these newly released prisoners and explores one of the most critical issues in the national debate over criminal justice reform: the flood of prisoners returning to American communities without the guidance and support needed for a successful transition back to society. What awaits them on the outside? How are they prepared to deal the new world? Where do they go from here?

Critical reception
Keri Blakinger of The Marshall Project acclaimed the film in general, stating that “12th Street does so much to show all the challenges of reentering society after incarceration. For those of us who did time, the film masterfully captures the range of emotions we feel as we walk out the gate: hope, fear, anger, joy, and so much more. It is raw and real, and if you believe in second chances this movie is for you.”

Michael Berryhill, Professor of Journalism at Texas Southern University and author of "The Trials of Elroy Brown: the Murder Case that Shook the Texas Prison System”, confirmed that "this poignant documentary is as real as it gets. Directors Greg and Matthijs have done a masterful job showing the human damage our prison system causes.”

Awards
Best Shorts Competition Winner, Award of Excellence

Sweden Film Awards Semi-Finalist

Montreal International Film Festival '''Official Selection '''

New York International Film Awards Official Selection

Chicago Indie Film Awards Official Selection

Phoenix Monthly Short Film Festival, Toronto Official Selection

Impact Doc Awards Official Selection

International Shorts Film Festival Official Selection