Clemency Video Advocacy

Finding pedagogical skillset for engaged advocacy.

Course Description: Clemency Video Advocacy

Documentary Films as supplements for clemency application with incarcerated individuals.

This course connects students with incarcerated individuals to create documentary films that support clemency applications. Students will develop media production skills while learning about the legal clemency process, mass incarceration issues, and ethical storytelling. Through direct collaboration with incarcerated people, students will produce short documentary films that humanize applicants and strengthen their case for release.

Course Objectives:

• Understand the clemency process and its role in the justice system
• Develop documentary filmmaking and interviewing skills
• Explore ethical considerations in advocacy media
• Engage directly with incarcerated individuals to tell their stories
• Create compelling visual narratives that support clemency applications

Key Topics:

• Documentary film techniques and storytelling
• Mass incarceration in the United States
• Legal framework of clemency and pardons
• Ethics of representation and advocacy
• Trauma-informed interviewing practices

Oscar Gardea

Doctor

Human Rights and the Arts

Bard College