Thursday, 10/25, 8:10pm (Session XXIV)

Director: Angad Bhalla
Producer: Lisa Valencia-Svensson

Description:

In 1972, New Orleans native Herman Joshua Wallace, born in 1941, was serving a twenty-five-year sentence for bank robbery when he was accused of murdering an Angola Prison guard. Many believed he was wrongfully convicted. Appeals were made, but Herman remained in jail and, to increasingly widespread outrage, was thrown into solitary confinement. In 2001, Herman received a perspective-shifting letter from a Jackie Sumell, a young art student, who posed the provocative question: “What kind of house does a man who has lived in a six-foot-by-nine-foot cell for over thirty years dream of?” With compassion and meaningful artistry, Herman’s House takes us inside the lives and imaginations of two unforgettable characters who forge a friendship and build a dream in the struggle to end the “cruel and unusual punishment” of long-term solitary confinement.

Biography:

Angad Bhalla, drawn to film for its ability to have an emotional impact, chooses projects that highlight voices we rarely hear. After spending months with Indian villagers who had been resisting an alumina project backed by the Canadian company Alcan, he produced his first independent project U.A.I.L He has since worked on videos for groups, including Human Rights Watch and the Global March Against Child Labour. His short documentary on the lives of Indian street artists, Writings on the Wall, garnered awards at Worldfest Houston and the Columbus Film and Video Festival. It was broadcast nationally on Canadas’ Bravo! Network, India’s NDTV, and internationally on Al Jazeera English. His most recent work is currently in production on a companion interactive documentary Inside Herman’s House, which received full funding from the National Film Board of Canada. He also works part-time as a community organizer for immigrant rights.

Contact Information:

Storyline Entertainment
E-mail: lisa@storylineentertainment.com
Web site: www.hermanshousethefilm.com