 
PRICING / ORDER
To order this video select one choice below then click
"Add to Order"
(You can also use this process to generate an order form for faxing or mailing.)
Bullfrog Films
P.O. Box 149
Oley, PA 19547
Tel: 610/779-8226
Fax: 610/370-1978
|
|
The Dhamma Brothers
An overcrowded maximum-security prison is dramatically changed by the influence of an ancient meditation program.
76 minutes
DVD version with special features available - see below
(Available June 30)
Color / Stereo
Grade Level: 10-12, College, Adult
US Release Date: 2008
Copyright Date: 2007
ISBN (VHS): 1-59458-774-4
ISBN (DVD): 1-59458-775-2
Directed by Jenny Phillips, Anne Marie Stein and Andrew Kukura
Produced by Jenny Phillips and Anne Marie Stein
Co-Producer: Peter Broderick
Editor: Andrew Kukura
Cinematography: Jeremy Leach and Wah Ho Chan
Executive Producers: Geralyn Dreyfous, Nicole Guillemet, Jenny Phillips, Anne Marie Stein and Bestor Cram
Produced by Freedom Behind Bars Productions, LLC in association with Northern Lights Productions and The Lionheart Foundation
| |
"One of the most sensitive expressions of hope...that I have seen in my career in criminal justice." Scott Harshbarger, former Attorney General of Massachusetts
|
Behind the high security towers and double row of barbed wire and electrical fence at Donaldson Correction Facility dwells a host of convicts who will never see the light of day. But for some of these men, a spark is ignited when it becomes the first maximum-security prison in North America to hold an extended Vipassana retreat, an emotionally and physically demanding course of silent meditation lasting ten days.
The Dhamma Brothers tells a dramatic tale of human potential and transformation as it closely follows and documents the stories of the prison inmates who enter into this arduous and intensive program. This film, with the power to dismantle stereotypes about men behind prison bars also, in the words of Sister Helen Prejean (Dead Man Walking), "gives you hope for the human race."
Note for the deaf and hard of hearing: There are subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing (SDH), which are available as a separate option on the main menu. SDH replaces closed captions, is more legible than standard closed captions and works with every method of screening.
DVD version: includes scene selection, optional subtitles, and four short films: Meditation and the Brain (9:22), The Legal System (9:00), Practicing Vipassana (11:40), and Reflections from the Dhamma Brothers (18:30).
Awards:
National Council on Crime and Delinquency Pass Award
Best Documentary, Woods Hole Film Festival
Runner-Up, Best Documentary, Rhode Island International Film Festival
Northampton International Film Festival
Martha's Vineyard Film Festival
Green Mountain Film Festival
Sarasota Film Festival
Reviews:
"The Dhamma Brothers is one of the most sensitive expressions of hope, capacity for change, and potential vehicles for institutional health that I have seen in my career in criminal justice. Inmates serving long sentences in one of the country's toughest state prisons experience the liberating effects of the Vipassana meditation program. The filmmakers provide a dramatic example of a safe and healthy correctional environment, not only for the inmates but also for the correction officers and all the people who must work within these institutions. The Dhamma Brothers points to an effective reentry program for even the most serious offenders in our society. Through the film we realize that inmates can accept responsibility for serious crimes, and attempt to engage in personal change even though it will not enable them to be released." Scott Harshbarger, former Attorney General of Massachusetts and senior
counsel, Proskauer Rose LLP
"The stories of the Dhamma Brothers ring with the truth and power of their experiences, and offer the hope for renewal and rehabilitation within a dismal and punishment-oriented correctional system. It gives you hope for the human race." Sister Helen Prejean, author, Dead Man Walking and recipient, 1996 Pax Christi Pope Paul VI Teacher of Peace Award
"This is an absolutely compelling story of an astonishing treatment program with prison inmates that, against all odds, actually worked. The leaders of the program and the correctional officials open a door to the hearts and minds of a violent prison population, allowing us to see them at intimate range, while at the same time producing a remarkably positive influence on the atmosphere of the prison as a whole." Doris Kearns Goodwin, author, No Ordinary Time and Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln
"An inspiring event of personal transformation through meditation in inmates at a maximum security prison. It will inspire everyone by the compelling story of personal growth in the harshest of conditions." Richard Davidson, Director, Wisconsin Center for Affective Science, and Center for Mind-Body Interaction, University of Wisconsin
"In the Civil Rights Movement, we used the wisdom of India and Mohandas Gandhi, to create a discipline and philosophy of non-violence that would meet the needs of the American landscape. The Dhamma Brothers have taken their own passage to India and discovered a practice of meditation that guides them down their inner path toward freedom. Those of us who accept the philosophy of non-violence believe there is a spark of divinity within all of us. This film makes it plain that no human being - no matter how troubled his beginning, regardless of his race, color, nationality, or creed - should be considered beyond the reach of redemption. No one should be tossed away in a jail cell and forgotten as though their lives mean nothing. This film demonstrates that all some people need - even those we might consider the worst among us - is to be led toward their path to recovery, and when they are restored, their contribution to our society and the world is limitless." Representative John Lewis, Georgia Congressman
"I found the film very interesting, in no small part because we hear from inmates at Donaldson all the time and know what a troubled facility it is...The message of the film with regard to the value of the mediation program to the individual inmates as well as the prison is a very important one and was communicated very well. The interviews with the inmates were excellent and certainly brought home Bryan Stevenson's message that a person is much more than the worst thing they ever did. The two leaders of the mediation program were very articulate in describing it and obviously very committed to Vipassana and to the prisoners. It was valuable to see the skepticism regarding to the program of the warden and corrections officers and their later reactions to it...I am very grateful for the opportunity to see the film." Stephen Bright, President, Southern Center for Human Rights, J. Skelly Wright Fellow, Yale Law School
"The Dhamma Brothers poignantly demonstrates the resiliency of the prisoners who participated in a 10-day silent retreat in the prison's gym. It expertly interweaves the stories of a few prisoners in a way that helps us understand the causes and conditions of crime and punishment. We are fortunate to witness the deep desire for healing and change that brings the men to their first Vipassana orientation. The documentary does a great deal to un-do the demonization of men in prison that runs so deeply in popular culture. It reintroduces the notion of rehabilitation in an era of retribution and retaliation. As participants move through their introduction to Vipassana and later work to maintain their practice in the face of prison administrators' ban, we see the struggle of all humans to live a life consistent with our values and to move deeper in our understanding of ourselves." Ed Mead, Founder of Prison Art Project, Organizer of Men Against Sexism at Walla Walla, Co-founder of Prison Legal News,
Co-editor of Prison Focus Magazine
"Prisoners sitting together, meditating? For years stories have circulated about prisons in India that were transformed through the use of Vipassana meditative disciplines. Now, in this documentary, you can see how it was implemented here in the US in, of all places, an Alabama prison, resulting in lives that indeed seem changed. This documentary provides a service by introducing this approach to an American audience. It also helps to challenge popular assumptions about prisoners and their ability to change [and] may also help to counter the punitive approach to justice that is prevalent in American attitudes." Howard Zehr, Professor, Sociology and Restorative Justice, Co-director, Center for Justice and Peacebuilding, Eastern Mennonite University, 2006 Community of Christ International Peace Award recipient
"The idea that 'nothing works' to rehabilitate prisoners is widespread, even though the researcher who penned that phrase later retracted it and ample research shows that a wide variety of programs produce positive results when properly matched with inmates' needs. The Dhamma Brothers provides an excellent example. The focus is rightly on the inmates - the childhoods, crimes and reflections - but the prison officials provide important context by discussing the problems of prison as warehouse. Ultimately, The Dhamma Brothers should not be seen as a documentary of a curious and unique event; it should be seen as a proof of concept and incitement for every state that sees itself at least as progressive and innovative as Alabama." Dr. Paul Leighton, Professor of Criminology, Eastern Michigan University, www.StopViolence.com
"This provocative film...candidly documents the mixed emotions and institutional conflicts aroused by the introduction of a Buddhist practice in a predominantly Christian prison." Jeanette Catsoulis, New York Times
"It takes you on a thrilling and hopeful voyage through a very dark place." Andrew O'Hehir, Salon.com
"Who would ever believe this Alabama hellhole would one day foster one of the most progressive rehabilitation programs in the world? Strange, but true...It's a powerful journey...A truly inspirational piece of documentary filmmaking." Ken Fox, TV Guide's Movie Guide
"Real-life Shawshank Redemption." Ronnie Scheib, Variety
"An inspiring documentary." V.A. Musetteo, New York Post
"A provocative portrait of innovative thinking in a penal system badly in need of reform." Frank Schneck, The Hollywood Reporter
"Unusually effective at finding the humanity inside men usually reviled as monsters." Joshua Land, Time Out New York
"Intriguing...Fierce irony and dark hope...Powerful honesty and clarity." Gary Goldstein, Los Angeles Times
"Mind-boggling" Ruthe Stein, San Francisco Chronicle
"We need a range of approaches to reach individuals, and this may be one of them." The Sentencing Project
"A wonderful, powerful film. A rare inspiration to all of us." Richard Gere
"A convincing documentary that proves the cathartic value of meditation in the lives of these prison inmates who share their experiences of inner peace and growing compassion." Spirituality and Practice
Related Subjects:
American Studies
Anthropology
Corrections
Counseling
Criminal Justice
Ethics
Human Rights
Philosophy
Prison System
Psychology
Rehabilitation
Religion
Sociology
Related Links:
The Dhamma Brothers website
Film trailer (Flash format)
Vipassana Meditation Courses for Correction Facilities website
Related Titles:
Between Joyce and Remembrance: A hard-hitting look at one of the many heinous crimes that came before South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
Heart of the Congo: Documents the work done, and difficulties faced, by international aid workers in the Congo.
Rain in a Dry Land: Two Somali Bantu families leave behind a legacy of slavery in Africa and find new homes in urban America.
In Search of International Justice: The first film about a crucial new commitment to the international rule of law: the International Criminal Court.
this black soil:: Chronicles the successful struggle of Bayview, VA, to pursue a new vision of prosperity.
|
|
