Micol Seigel and Leigh Grundhoefer give an overview of the upcoming events in the Care Not Cages series, which seeks to bring attention to the American carceral system. For an expanded version of this essay, please read the upcoming Ryder Magazine.
In 2007, Monroe County government proposed building a new jail. Proponents claimed the jail was decrepit and overcrowded, and there were no other solutions. In the end, no new jail was built, thanks to public opposition to jail expansion and projected sky-high costs. Now, 15 years later, the county has again proposed a new jail. Proponents again claim the jail is decrepit and ovecrowded, and that a new jail is the only solution. Today, as before, our elected officials treat jail as a cure-all and continue to ignore the incarceration pipeline that crowds the jail with neighbors, friends, and family members. To galvanize a more robust public conversation about county policy, local activist group Care Not Cages has organized a series of events this semester at IU Cinema featuring films on incarceration and conversations with filmmakers, activists, and community members.
Care Not Cages was inspired to organize this extensive program because of the power of film to frame crucial issues. “Movies allow us to see the bigger picture of an issue right alongside the most minute details,” Care Not Cages member and series curator Seth Mutchler explains. “This series explores abolition from all angles, and asks the crucial question: ‘What would a world without prisons be like?’”
The series begins with a program of short films encouraging viewers to consider that world without prisons (Beyond Walls Shorts Program, February 20, 7pm, at IU Cinema). From an introduction to the idea of abolition, to maintaining relationships with loved ones inside, to practical alternatives to incarceration, each film demonstrates an abolitionist imagination.
Care Not Cages organized the near-dozen events to seed new imaginaries locally and beyond. “We are all told a story about incarceration,” said Mutchler. “We are told that jails and prisons are about law and order, safety and civility, and that they are necessary in society. When creating the Care Not Cages film series, we aimed to reject this narrative and tells a different story — one of freedom, of self-determination, and of community.”
The anchor of the series is filmmaker Brett Story, whose haunting 2016 film The Prison in Twelve Landscapes commands attention to the ways prisons shape worlds far beyond their walls. In addition to The Prison in Twelve Landscapes screening on March 23, 4pm, at IU Cinema, Story’s other films feature in the series: CamperForce (2017), screening alongside Chloé Zhao’s Nomadland (2020) on March 7, 7pm, at IU Cinema, and The Hottest August (2019) on March 22, 7pm, at IU Cinema. Story will appear in conversation with IU Cinema Director Dr. Alicia Kozma on March 23, 7pm, at IU Cinema as part of the Jorgensen Guest Filmmaker Series. Delving into Story’s experience as a filmmaker, scholar, and activist, the conversation will explore how art and storytelling can bring about social change.
Story will also appear on a panel at Redbud Books, Bloomington’s newest independent bookstore (March 22, 3pm, at 408 W. Kirkwood). The panel will feature Story alongside critical criminologist Judah Schept, author of the just-published The Jail Is Everywhere; a member of Care Not Cages; and a representative of Fort Wayne-based Help Not Handcuffs, a group fighting a new jail proposal in Allen County. In another local collaboration, Care Not Cages is partnering with Bloomington Anarchist Black Cross for a Prisoner Letter Writing Night (March 18 at the Monroe County Public Library, Room 2A, 6:30pm).
Other films in the series include Time (April 2, 7pm, at IU Cinema), an intimate portrayal of activist Fox Rich and her two-decade journey to free her incarcerated husband, and Riotsville, USA (March 5, 7pm, at Redbud Books), a denunciation of the fictional town built by the US military to practice its riot-control techniques.
Many of the programs include discussions following the films with filmmakers, community organizers, and audience members. Conversations help viewers locate themselves in the issues and clarify their convictions. Mutchler explains, “A central component of this series are our community conversations following each film. By discussing the films with each other, we take abolition out of the theoretical and into the practical. We look forward to working together on a more just, equitable, and compassionate society.”
All events are free and open to all; the events at the IU Cinema are free but ticketed. This series is organized by Care Not Cages and IU Cinema with support from New Leaf New Life, Redbud Books, Cicada Cinema, Bloomington Anarchist Black Cross, IU Dept. of American Studies, the Center for Documentary Research and Practice, and Indiana Humanities.