Follow Me Down: Portraits of Louisiana Prison Musicians  

$15 suggested donation (No one turned away for lack of funds)

Follow Me Down is a feature-length documentary about music in prison. Shot over the course of two years in three Louisiana prisons, Georgetown ethnomusicologist Ben Harbert weaves together interviews and performances of extraordinary inmate musicians - some serving life sentences, some new commits, and one soon to be released. The result plays like a concert film, but instead of bright lights and big stages, these musicians rap in the fields while picking okra, soothe themselves with R&B in lockdown, and create a cappella gospel harmonies. With unprecedented access and Harbert's insistence on letting the music speak for itself, the film offers an unexpected look at prison life, pushing viewers to reach their own conclusions about music, criminality, regret, redemption, and the humanity in us all.

Nola to Angola is a long-distance bicycle fundraiser taking place in October to raise funds for the Cornerstone Builder's Bus Project. The organization provides a free monthly bus service for New Orleanians who have loved ones in Louisiana State Penitentiary (Angola), Dixon Correctional Institute, Raymond Laborde Correctional Center, and Rayburn Correctional Center. At least once a month, the bus project rents a 55 passenger bus and makes the trek from New Orleans to these facilities. www.nolatoangola.org

Trailer for the film: https://vimeo.com/48035769?share=copy&fl=cl&fe=ci