Jenny Phillips

The Dhamma Brothers

Jenny Phillips, Andrew Kukura

Grady Bankhead, Ron Cavanaugh

East meets West in the Deep South. An overcrowded maximum-security prison-the end of the line in Alabama's correctional system-is dramatically changed by the influence of an ancient meditation program. Behind high security towers and a double row of barbed wire and electrical fence 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 at Donaldson Correction Facility who enter into this arduous and intensive program. Written by Balcony Releasing

Beyond the Wall

Jenny Phillips, Bestor Cram

Filmed largely in Lowell and Lawrence over four years, Beyond the Wall is a raw and honest chronicle of one man’s efforts to help former convicts stay on the straight and narrow, away from the needle that sent them spiraling into prison.