THE FILM: SYNOPSIS
Verité Documentary Film
Liberated is a character-driven verité documentary film that tells the stories of imprisoned men and women in Denmark, Italy, India, Argentina, Jamaica, Uganda and the US. As our protagonists navigate the harsh realities of prison life, they confront not only the external challenges of their environment but also the deep-seated trauma that led to their incarceration.
This film explores the pioneering Art of Living Prison Program, which teaches yoga, meditation, and Sudarshan Kriya Yoga (SKY Breath Meditation) — a powerful breathing technique that has been taught to inmates worldwide. Through intimate storytelling, we witness how these practices offer pathways to healing and reintegration, enabling inmates to transform their anxiety and hopelessness into resilience and hope.
We’ll meet these men and women in their everyday lives as they navigate their world, prior to the five-day breathwork, yoga, and meditation program. We’ll spend time with them, documenting their daily struggles – learning who they are and observing first-hand how they’ve been impacted by the stresses and conflicts of life inside.
We will return to each prison several months later to follow up with our subjects and see if these skills have delivered on their promise - revealing the impact of mindfulness and breathwork in breaking the cycle of trauma.
By showcasing these narratives, Liberated highlights the urgent need for compassionate interventions in the justice system, advocating for the recognition of every inmate's potential for healing. This documentary not only aims to foster empathy among viewers but also seeks to demonstrate that the tools for transformation are accessible to all — emphasizing that breath is a universal resource for empowerment and change.
BRIEF OVERVIEW: NUTS AND BOLTS
The Transformative Power of Breath
Global humanitarian Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar said, “Inside every culprit is a victim crying for help.” This rings true for many incarcerated individuals who have faced significant trauma before imprisonment, often worsened by harsh prison conditions.
Most prisoners will eventually reenter society, but their unresolved trauma and learned violent behaviors can hinder reintegration. This film highlights the urgent need for interventions that can help prisoners heal and move beyond this trauma, enabling them to lead healthier, more productive lives both during and after incarceration.
Pre-production commenced in September 2024. We are in the process of setting up travel dates to shoot on location worldwide.
We hope that this film will demonstrate the effectiveness of the Art of Living Prison Program as an intervention that addresses mental and emotional well-being to transform the lives of inmates, helping them to move past stress and trauma, reintegrate into society, and build better lives inside. We aim to show that the yoga, breathwork, and meditation techniques taught in this program work for all people, across all cultures.
The transformative power of this work is truly remarkable. It could rightly be called revolutionary, but for the fact that the skills taught are innate to every human.
We are story-driven creatures. Ultimately, we aim to see the inmates triumph and find freedom within, overcoming their past and facing their future with confidence and vitality.
ARTISTIC APPROACH
Intersecting Stories
This film tracks multiple character-driven and interwoven stories explored as one single overarching narrative. Through the vérité lens, we’ll witness how those inside have been impacted by the traumas of incarceration and their previous living situations.
Plot points will develop from person to person, exploring how different stories intersect. This editing style will be repeated throughout the film, returning to each story in turn, until the story arcs are concluded for each of the featured inmates. This will help the audience bond with the protagonists, as we become intimate witnesses to the issues that propel the story forward.
The true-to-life cinema vérité style of Liberated means that the audience can viscerally experience what these individuals are going through, and can recognize how the new skills they learn will re-shape their relationships and their lives. Daily routines will provide a natural entry point into their lives and stories.
In the intimate spaces of the unique training our protagonists will undergo, we’ll see them take their first steps on the path of healing. With this, we intend to spark a grounded and compassionate response from the audience, fostering the belief that everyone has the basic right to a trauma-free life.
As the film begins, we’ll see the inmates in situ with their enforced routine, revealing the dysfunctional coping mechanisms they’ve come to employ as they struggle through each day. Reflecting this cinematically, the visual tone starts off darkly claustrophobic. Interviews of our chosen subjects are shot with tighter lenses, emphasizing the sense of isolation they feel as they cope with the extreme traumas they carry within.
As the story progresses, wider lenses and more fluidity in the camera operator’s technique give us the hopeful sense that the possibility of a life beyond trauma exists.
A powerful musical score underlies the film, capturing the sound of their struggles and the hopeful belief they can leave the past behind, forging a new life using tools they’ve learned on this course.
It is our intent that the evidence provided in this film will help speed the integration of the psychosocial approach that the Art of Living Prison Program team uses in their international peace-building efforts.
As a secondary element, this film aims to demonstrate that if this method can work for those in the most challenging of circumstances and situations, then it can work for anyone anywhere.