New York Film Academy Documentary graduate, Bianca Zanini (’11) just checked in from Brazil where she’s shooting the beginning of her first feature documentary, Miss Prison. The film will be shot in a maximum security prison. Priscila Vittelli (’10) has joined the production as a Camera Operator.
This documentary offers a unique peek into a bizarre and fascinating world behind bars – where crime meets beauty, guilt meets glitter, and reality meets dreams. Somewhere between a comedy and a drama, combining verité footage and interviews, Miss Prison deals with a prison beauty pageant. But the story goes much beyond this, touching on basic human themes like hope, change, forgiveness and a way out.
For one day each year the prisoners of the maximum security prison, Talavera Bruce, get to compete for the prestigious title of “Miss Prison.” The contestants, usually serving long sentences for homicide, drugs and/or violence, are judged on their beauty, general knowledge and good behavior record.
