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Logline

How a band formed by lifers in San Quentin became a symbol of hope on the outside.

Synopsis

In 2014, the band Quentin Blue was formed inside of San Quentin State Prison by men serving life sentences. In 2020, three band members were released and came to the same sober home in Los Angeles, where they have re-formed the band and now use music as part of their healing and reintegration into society.

We have completed a 27-minute short documentary, now available online. In the process of making this film, we discovered that a short just scratches the surface, and we have a real opportunity to use this story for broader education around restorative justice.

We are asking our community for support in creating a feature documentary that can dive deeper into restorative justice frameworks and the band’s story.
 

Meet the Filmmakers

Lane Michael Stanley – Writer/Director/Producer
Lane Michael Stanley is a transgender filmmaker, writer, and playwright. His work explores queerness, class, restorative justice, grief, and healing. Lane’s films and plays have been presented by 35 film festivals and 21 theaters in 25 states and four countries, as well as in soup kitchens, meditation gardens, addiction treatment centers, and San Quentin State Prison. His writing has appeared in Electric Literature, The Rumpus, and Talkhouse, and he is an alum of the Tin House, Kenyon, and Lambda Literary writers workshop. Lane is the 2023-2024 Resident Artist with coLAB Arts and Mission First Housing Group, and the 2024-2025 Artist-in-Residence for Pathway Home of Los Angeles County. He holds an MFA from UT Austin. For more information, please visit www.lanemichaelstanley.com.

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Contact

For inquiries, please contact fiscalsponsorship@filmindependent.org.