"The Playback," from the Video Consortium, is a behind-the-scenes peek in which nonfiction filmmakers describe their creative process as we see it unfold. Produced by VC members Horatio Baltz and Cody Ball.
In this final Season One episode of The Playback, director Mohammad Gorjestani discusses the creative process behind Sister Hearts, a compassionate short documentary focused on the challenges of reentering society after incarceration funded by the mobile payment company Square.
Maryam Henderson-Uloho spent thirteen years in prison in Louisiana, seven in solitary confinement. After her release she struggled to find housing or employment. She began selling secondhand goods out of a suitcase on a street corner in New Orleans. In just three years, she grew her business to a brick-and-mortar thrift store—one that also provides housing and employment for other formerly-incarcerated women. She calls those women—and her store—Sister Hearts.
“When I got out of prison, they wouldn't allow me to open a bank account. I could not rent an apartment. I could not get a job. So I started just selling stuff out of a suitcase on the street corner. The first day I made $40. And I just kept doing that. Three years later, I have a 15,000 square foot thrift store and transition housing facility for other female ex-offenders.”
