This project was inspired by a conversation between Sharon Lockhart and a female inmate from the Baumettes Prison, Marseille long before the COVID 19 pandemic. The conversation the prisoners initiated with Lockhart was about the role of cinema in the lives of prisoners, across walls, borders and cultures. Lockdown closed access to prisons – it closed cinemas too. Under these conditions and at a distance, our small team has begun to develop the concept further. What if we could find another kind of cinema in a situation where our usual understanding of the cinematic experience is not possible? We thought about dreams and cinema. We would like to work with former Baumettes prisoner, Annie, to script a meditation experience. It will be recorded and shared this with current Baumettes female inmates and then make audio recordings of their experiences. These recordings will be used to make a new film, one led by audio and led by the internal “cinema” of the women of Baumettes.
Sharon Lockhart
