Filmed over three and a half years from their lives inside prison to the year following their release, filmmaker Jennifer Redfearn follows three young mothers in Cleveland, Ohio – Lydia, Tomika and Amanda – caught between harsh drug senencing and rising incarceration for women. This intimate portrait examines the impact of America’s war on drugs through three mothers attempting to rebuild lives derailed by drugs and prison. As Tomika, Lydia, and Amanda prepare to rejoin their families, they enter an innovative prison program in Cleveland, Ohio where they lean on each other and mentors who have also been in prison. With the hope of redemption on the horizon, the women work to regain the trust of their children and combat stigmas associated with people who have been incarcerated.
Soon after working through the program and earning regular visits with their loved ones, Lydia, Tomika and Amanda begin to see the promise of reunion and redemption. An ultimately hopeful portrait, “Apart” not only explores the hardships incarcerated mothers face as they prepare to rejoin their families, but also the obstacles they encounter post-prison as they navigate looking for jobs, finding housing and reconnecting with their children.
“Apart” is included in Independent Lens’ ongoing Stories for Justice initiative, a public media partnership, which spotlights films about systemic racial inequities across America and aims to spark community conversations about justice reform.
“Apart” will air on Panhandle PBS on Monday, February 21 as a part of Independent Lens. Panhandle PBS presents a free, virtual screening of "Apart" on February 10 at 6 p.m. For more information or to RSVP for this screening, call (806)371-5479 or visit panhandlePBS.org/Presents.
