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The injustice of solitary confinement and the transformative power of art are explored in Herman’s House, a must-see documentary that was an official selection of the Sundance Institute and the prestigious HotDocs festival. Former Black Panther Herman Wallace was languishing in solitary confinement when he received a letter from a young artist/activist, Jackie Sumell, posing a provocative question: “What kind of house does a man who has lived in a six-foot-by-nine-foot cell for over 30 years dream of?” Bhalla documents the process and the final art project that results from this initial letter: a striking installation that brings thousands of gallery visitors face to face with the injustices of the American prison system. Another terrific example of South Asian directors coming into the mainstream with stories about the universal human experience.

Panel discussion following film with:
Angad Bhalla, Filmmaker
Raphael Sperry, former president of Architects/Designers/Planners for Social Responsibility (ADPSR) an organization involved in creating awareness about the moral issues surrounding prison design
Laura Magnani of the American Friends Service Committee, involved in advocating prison reform among other peace building initiatives
Richard Kamler, Artist (The Waiting Room and Table of Voices, large installations that deal with prisons) and a former artist-in-residence at San Quentin Prison