DO NOT ATTEMPT TO COMMUNICATE WITH THE INMATES THROUGH THE FENCE

Zhandarka Kurti and Jarrod Shanahan (States of Incarceration, Skyscraper Jails) host the filmmaker of WE’RE TOO HOT and Breaking the Fourth Wall, chronicling revolts that have occurred inside and outside of the St. Louis jails over the course of 10 years.



WE’RE TOO HOT follows a rowdy demonstration in 2017 at the city’s former holdover facility: the Workhouse. It was sparked by a heatwave that sent temperatures inside the A/C-less jail into the 110s. In 2021, the Workhouse was closed after a long campaign against it, but this has left the equally notorious second jail, the Justice Center, to pick up the slack. 6 mins

Breaking the Fourth Wall (or A Justice Center Recruitment Video) is a riotous chronicle of resistance to the deadly reality of the city’s Justice Center, a facility that has killed 21 prisoners since 2020. Within that time prisoners have bravely fought against the jail; engaging in a series of riots, escape attempts, parties, hostage takings and full-on uprisings. Approx. 26 minutes Screenings will be followed by a discussion.