They make beautiful things, notes McShane.
I think on a lot of levels, its a healing kind of activity.
Theyre looking for, how would you say, a purpose.
‘The Quilters’Courtesy of Jenifer McShane, ‘The Quilters’
She heard about the quilters of South Central Correctional Center through her editor, Toby Shimin.
Every time I do butterflies, I straight think of her, he says.
Chill describes adopting a wolf-like persona when hes amid the general prison population, as a survival strategy.
Ricky in the prison sewing room in ‘The Quilters’Courtesy of Jenifer McShane, ‘The Quilters’
But in the sewing room, hes a different man.
Up here, like my emotion changed when I walked through the door.
Chill volunteers that hes got 14 years left to serve of a sentence for aggravated assault.
But, for the most part, McShane eschews references to what has put the quilters behind bars.
Thats not what this film is about, she says.
There are films about why people are in prison and should they be there.
And this was not about how they got there, but how theyre using their time.
A deep sense of camaraderie and support among the quilters emerges as the film progresses.
A lot of these guys have never sewed before.
And it was a daunting thing.
And there was just this love and concern, and it was really beautiful to observe.
Theyre watching themselves in that room [while] sitting in that room.
It was all a little weird, the director recalls.
Well, not in a max prison.
So they all rush, Jen!
No, no., no.
It kind of hadnt totally hit me how hard it would hit them, she says.
Theyve never seen that.
Theyve never seen one of their quilts on the outside being used by one of these kids.
So, it was very powerful for them.
Wider distribution plans for the film are pending.
