I am ready to go.
I am ready, Warden.
His victim was Pablo Castro, a convenience store employee in Corpus Christi, Texas.
Texas death row inmate John Henry Ramirez in ‘I Am Ready, Warden’MTV Documentary Films
She wrote a letter to Texas Gov.
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Mundhra earned an Oscar nomination for her 2020 short documentarySt.
The Allan B. Polunsky Unit in Livingston, a Texas Department of Criminal Justice-run facility that houses the state of Texas death row for menFRANCOIS PICARD/AFP via Getty Images
Louis Superman, co-directed by Sami Khan.
DEADLINE:Congratulations onI Am Ready, Wardenbeing shortlisted for the 97th Academy Awards.
How did you learn about this story and when did you realize you wanted to document it on film?
Smriti Mundhra: First of all, thank you!
Very exciting couple of weeks over here.
But I was still engaged in this community.
Times), and who covered Texas prisons and specifically, Texas death row.
So I reached out to Keri and said, …Im still interested in making something in this space.
Would you be open to a conversation?
Maybe we can collaborate.
How did you convince their sons, Aaron Castro and Israel Ramirez, to participate in the film?
SM: Aarons participation took months of trust building to secure.
When I first started this film… You should know that, going into making this film.
So, we talked on the phone that first time for four hours.
So, we talked every other week for a few months after that.
We can film if you want.
I want everything that Ive shared with you to be a part of this story.
How am I drawing the audience into this as opposed to just presenting one side of an argument?
The question of our capacity to believe in forgiveness and redemption really was the center of this.
In fact, it was a very deliberate effort.
SM: It took a little over a two-year process between securing access, filming and editing.
Sheila supported this project from the very beginning, when I didnt know where it was going.
I just wanted to make something in the space and was really captivated by John and was pursuing Aaron.
I didnt even know John had a son.
So, all of those big, dramatic turns in the film, I didnt know.
The editing was the hardest part.
This was an 18 month edit, which is insane for a short.
The story is such a delicate balance.
Its also a lot of characters for a short documentary.
DEADLINE:Can you share something that impacted you from the experience of makingI Am Ready, Warden?
SM: I first screened the film for Aaron shortly before its premiere.
We watched the film together, and he was really silent for a while.
It was really beautiful, and the thing Im most proud of in my career.
DEADLINE:In your previous documentary,St.
What was your decision in choosing these stories?
SM: I would say evenShelter, my documentary film [afterSt.
Louis, Superman, or the housing crisis inShelteror capital punishment [inI Am Ready Warden].
These are big fundamental American values that are reflected through these systems.
Can we live with this on our conscience?
What is our role in the complicity that perpetuates these things?
DEADLINE:You are also known for creating the Netflix documentary seriesIndian Matchmaking andJewish Matchmaking.
And you now have a spinoff,Muslim Matchmaker, for Hulu.
SM:Muslim Matchmakerwill be coming out on Hulu in early 2025.
Its the next iteration in the matchmaking multiverse.
Whats unique aboutMuslim Matchmakeris that there are two matchmakers and theyre both young Muslim women in their early 30s.
Im really proud of this show.
It will be out at the end of February on HBO.
And then I have a feature documentary coming out on Netflix India.
We dont have an exact [release] date yet, but itll be out in the near future.
DEADLINE:WithI Am Ready, Warden, this is your second time on the Oscar journey afterSt.
What are you feeling right now about it?
Its such a pinnacle to any career, and especially for a film that was so challenging to make.
And its thrilling to be in that conversation, and I hope that the film continues to advance.
Though the thing thats been great for me personally both when I went through this in 2019-2020 withSt.
I dont get many opportunities to be in community with the documentary world.
I love documentaries, its my passion.
I love seeing films.
I love being in community with other filmmakers.
Its just been wonderful.
