In Prison My Whole Life (2007)

Director:

Marc Evans

Writers:

Marc Evans
William Francome

Release Date:

23 October 2008 (UK)

Genre:

Documentary

Plot:

A look at the life of imprisoned political activist and former Black Panther member, Mumia Abu-Jamal, who's death sentence for killing a police officer was overturned in 2001 due to errors made during his original 1982 sentencing hearing. |

Plot Keywords:

Black Panther | Political Activist | African American

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Mumia Abu-Jamal	...	Himself
Noam Chomsky	...	Himself
Mos Def	...	Himself
Snoop Dogg	...	Himself
Steve Earle	...	Himself
William Francome	...	Himself
Boots Riley	...	Himself (as Raymond 'Boots' Riley)
Russell Simmons	...	Himself
Alice Walker	...	Herself
Howard Zinn	...	Himself

Directed by
Marc Evans

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Marc Evans
William Francome

Produced by
John Battsek	....	co-producer
Colin Firth	....	executive producer
Livia Giuggioli	....	producer
Linda James	....	executive producer
Domenico Procacci	....	co-producer
Nick Goodwin Self	....	producer

Original Music by
Neil Davidge

Cinematography by
Ari Issler

Film Editing by
Mags Arnold

Production Management
Layla Blackman	....	post-production supervisor (as Layla Evans)

Sound Department
David L. Feinberg	....	sound mixer (as David Feinberg)
Simon Jones	....	sound re-recording mixer
Steve Miller	....	sound recording engineer
Michael Primmer	....	sound mixer

Editorial Department
William Chetwynd	....	conform editor (uncredited)

Music Department
Liz Gallacher	....	music supervisor

Other crew
Rachel Devenport	....	publicist
Caroline Perjesi	....	archive coordinator

Production Companies

• Fandango
• Nana

Distributors

• Lug Cinéma (2011) (France) (theatrical)

Special Effects

• Foreign Office (graphics and animation)

Other Companies

• Wales Creative IP Fund  funding

Also Known As:

"Sti fylaki oli mou ti zoi" - Greece (festival title)
"Toute ma vie (en prison)" - France (imdb display title)

Runtime:

90 min

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

UK:15

Company:

Fandango

Soundtrack:

What Up Man

Worrying film that aims to ask questions rather than give answers

It is a bit of an oddity that this criminally under-exposed film remains under the radar. With an Oscar-winning actor as Executive Producer and appearances from the likes of Noam Chomsky, Mos Def and Snoop Dogg, it surprises me that the film never managed to generate any real publicity.

On the surface, the film concerns itself with the case of Mumia Abu Jamal, a former Black Panther, activist and journalist who was convicted of murdering a Philadelphia cop and sentenced to death. Detractors of the film have remarked on the information the movie chooses to omit, and some felt cheated out of a clearer understanding of the crime itself. The truth seems to be that there is no clear picture of the crime itself, but this is not the point of the movie.

The film is engaging from the start, with an impressive ability to convincingly create the world in which Mumia grew up. Philadelphia in the '60s and '70s was, by all accounts, a pretty horrifying place to be if you were black. The film makes a concentrated reference to the MOVE atrocities (look it up) in order to support the idea that justice had hugely different definitions depending on the colour of your skin. This might sound like leftist propaganda but then again, if you're not a minority, it's always easy to dismiss and belittle the idea of racial injustice.

The movie's real strength is in the questions it raises about the trial and subsequent conviction of Mumia, following the murder he supposedly committed. The case seems to be full of holes and contradictions and we are forced to consider the strong possibility that another man committed the murder. Given the political connotations of the case and the public anger surrounding it, is it unimaginable that a police force would be more concerned with closing it quickly than with getting it right? Is it inconceivable that an opportunity was seen and seized to remove an educated and "troublesome" black man from general circulation? Is it inconceivable that the trial itself was a farce cultivated to ensure the jurors' return of a guilty verdict in order to appease white public outcry?

I too felt frustrated that the film did not attempt to get to the truth at the heart of the case but, again, I do not believe that to be the point of film. Mumia's guilt or innocence is almost of secondary importance to his right to a fair trial, a right which, it seems, he has been denied for over thirty years now.

To paraphrase Chomsky, if we do not believe in true, fair and equal justice for all, we do not believe in justice at all. This film is not perfect, but it raises universal questions about justice and equality and this makes it essential viewing.