THE FILM
“What kind of house does a man who has been imprisoned in a six-foot-by-nine-foot cell for over 30 years dream of?”
When art student Jackie Sumell asked this of Herman Wallace, a Black Panther activist who’s been in solitary confinement longer than anyone in the history of the American penal system, she was fulfilling a class assignment and showing solidarity to a friend. After eight years and more than 500 letters, much of her lifework has focused on his answer. Their collaboration, an art installation called “The House That Herman Built,” has been seen in galleries around the world, making Herman one of America’s most famous political prisoners.
The project has forced the public to come face to face with an American prison system that currently holds over 2 million people behind bars; 25,000 of them in solitary confinement cells for prolonged periods, a practice that could be considered torture. Louisiana State Prison authorities put Herman in solitary on April 17th 1972, the day prison guard Brent Miller was stabbed to death. Without any physical evidence linking them to the crime, an all white jury eventually convicted Herman and a fellow prison activist of the murder based solely on questionable testimony from other inmates.
Now in Herman’s 38th year in a cell for 23 hours a day, as his criminal appeals process winds its way through the courts, Herman and Jackie are looking for land. Inspired by Herman’s designs for his house, they hope to build a community space for youth in New Orleans, Herman’s hometown.
The documentary The House That Herman Built captures Herman and Jackie’s creative journey and close friendship while examining the injustice of solitary confinement.
After tracing how, with Jackie’s help, Herman came to imagine his house, we follow Jackie through meetings with real estate agents, contractors, and potential neighbors. Herman and Jackie’s infectious optimism, however, repeatedly collides with the harsh realities of America’s judicial system. Though a federal judge called Herman’s prolonged solitary sentence “cruel and unusual punishment,” he remains in his cell.
More than a physical structure, The House That Herman Built emerges as a collective site for people to weigh in on a system that holds thousands of prisoners in cages for years. This is the story of Herman and Jackie, of America’s criminal justice system, and the amazing journey of a simple question, backed by big dreams and passionate commitment.
THE DIRECTOR - ANGAD BHALLA
Drawn to film for its ability to have an emotional impact, Canadian director Angad Bhalla chooses projects that highlight voices we rarely hear. His last project, a documentary on the lives of Indian street artists, Writings on the Wall, has been broadcast nationally in Canada, India, and on Al Jazeera English.
THE PRODUCTION COMPANY - STORYLINE ENTERTAINMENT
Storyline Entertainment has been creating internationally renowned documentaries and non-fiction programming since 2000 which have been aired through such broadcasters as Canadian Broadcast Corporation, the Sundance Channel, Bravo and the Independent Film Channel. There include The Aftermath: The Remnants of War, Shipbreakers, and Tiger Spirit. www.storylineentertainment.com
LINKS
Read about The House That Herman Built's TDF pitch in Real Screen
Read about The House That Herman Built's TDF pitch in Variety
Read about The House That Herman Built in Indie Wire
Learn More about the art project at artist Jackie Sumell's page
Read what the New York Times had to say about the project
Learn More about Herman's case and the broader case of the Angola 3
Read the View On Canadian Art article about Jackie’s Toronto Talk
Director Angad Bhalla’s website
Awarded the DocFest Best Pitch Award 2007 from POV
Learn More about the book drive for Herman's library
Read about Albert Woodfox of the Angola 3
