La Corona (The Crown)
The contestants in this beauty pageant are thieves, murderers, and guerillas. The runnerup wipes her tears with a tattooed hand when the tiara is not placed on her head—and after the winner is crowned queen, all are taken back to their cells. Set in the women’s penitentiary in Bogotá, Colombia, The Crown is a character-driven documentary that follows four inmates competing in the annual pageant. Nominated for an Oscar in the Short Documentary category and winner of Honorable Mention Award at 2008 Sundance film festival. A discussion follows the screening. 2007, Colombia, video, in Spanish with English subtitles, 45 minutes.
Septembers (Septiembres)
Eight men and women reveal their lives though the loves songs they perform in a competition held in a prison near Madrid. The inmates from such various countries as Argentina, Mexico, Bolivia and Lithuania pine for their family, friends and lovers and director Carles Bosch (of the Oscar-nominated Balseros), tracks down the loved ones outside the penitentiary walls who have inspired the songs. 2007, Spain, video, in Spanish with English subtitles, 90 minutes.
