SONGS OF REDEMPTION | dir. Amanda Sans, Miquel Galofré | ES, JM | 2013 | 79 min

prod|pro Nando Garcia Guereta scen|wr Amanda Sans zdj|ph Amanda Sans, Miquel Galofré muz|mus Zenesha Riley mon|ed Carlos Prieto dys|dis Nice Time Productions i Nando Garcia Guereta

A moving documentary shot in a penitentiary in Kingston, the capital of Jamaica, where the inmates undergo rehabilitation through music. The titular “songs of redemption” are pieces created and performed by the convicts themselves and based on elements of reggae and hip-hop. In these songs, the inmates express the emotions associated with the loss of freedom, the confrontations with other prisoners, and the impossibility of forgetting the crimes they committed. The film is composed from dialogues with the convicts, interwoven with the observation of their everyday lives (meals, concerts, matches), and recordings. What is most touching about this Spanish-Jamaican co-production is the weakness and confusion of its protagonists, concealed by their painstakingly constructed style of American rappers, and unveiled only by their lyrics and music.

AMANDA SANS
Spanish director and screenwriter. Author of numerous films and documentary cycles for Spanish television (Canal+, Cuatro, BTV) as well as television programs (for Telecinco, TVE, TV3). She also directs advertising films. Due to her many projects about the Caribbean islands, she constantly travels from Barcelona to Jamaica.

MIQUEL GALOFRÉ (1972)
Spanish director and editor. Although born in Barcelona, he grew up in Trinidad and Tobago. His documentary “Hit Me With Music” won the Jury Award and the Audience Award at the 2011 Trinidad and Tobago Film Festival.

AWARDS
2014 FF Kraków – Golden Horn
2013 CARIBBEAN TALES Toronto Film Showcase – Award for Best Documentary Film
2014 CINEDOC Tbilisi – Audience Award
2014 PAN AFRICAN Film & Arts Festival – Award for Best Film
2014 FAF TWO RIVERSIDES Kazimierz Dolny, Janowiec – Audience Award

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www.nicetimeproductions.com