CEN1-12. Tehachapi

France, Feature Documentary, 2023, 92 min

Telluride Breakout… Indiewire

Famed French muralist JR heads to the ultra-violent Tehachapi Supermax California Prison, where he asks a group of 40 inmates -- most of them lifers -- to help him install a huge photo collage of the inmates on the prison yard. By personally telling their stories on JR’s interactive website, many are surprised to restore long-broken relationships with their families and become more hopeful about their lives. Questioning the limits of the US carceral system, Tehachapi is a rare, illuminating and moving feature documentary, showing how art can be a decisive means to reintegration and rehabilitation. Well-known for his collages and giving a voice to the marginalized and unseen, JR is also the co-director of the Academy Award-nominated Faces Places with Agnès Varda.

Directed by JR

Boulder Premiere

A Call2Action selection