Alix Lambert

The Mark of Cain

Alix Lambert

The fading art form and ‘language’ of Russian criminal tattoos, formerly a forbidden topic in Russia. The now vanishing practice is seen as reflecting the transition of the broader Russian society. Filmed in some of Russia’s most notorious prisons, including the fabled White Swan, the interviews with prisoners, guards, and criminologists reveal the secret language of “The Zone” and “The Code of Thieves” (Vor v zakone).

Mentor

Alix Lambert

Mentor, Ohio: largely white, largely upper middle class, and listed as one of the Top 100 Places to Live in the United States. Its attraction for immigrants and others has proven to be a deadly illusion.

Bayou Blue

Alix Lambert, David McMahon

From 1997 to 2006, serial killer Ronald Dominique raped and killed twenty-three men in poverty- stricken Southeastern Louisiana. Difficulties in apprehending Dominique ranged from the underfunding of law enforcement to a lack of family advocacy for the victims, to the general distraction by other catastrophes such as Hurricane Katrina. Bayou Blue meditates on the decay of a community.

Edge of Daybreak

Alix Lambert

Jon Kirby, James Carrington

It doesn’t take a seasoned musician, engineer, or producer to marvel at The Edge of Daybreak and their sole record, Eyes of Love. Though rightly acclaimed for soulful melodies and passionate vocals, said record is ultimately infamous for having been recorded in one take at the Powhatan Correctional Center’s recreational area by a six-inmate group, each member — then serving sentences ranging between six and 60 years — whisked back to their cells as soon as they’d hit the last note on the final track. Alix Lambert’s (The Mark of Cain) new short film, The Edge of Daybreak, uncovers that peculiar history through archival materials, interviews with Jon Kirby (of the album’s current home, Numero Group) and Daybreak’s keyboardist and vocalist James Carrington, and sounds from Eyes of Love itself.