In the Land of the Free…

Robert Hillary King was in London for the premier of In the Land of the Free…, a new documentary on the case of the Angola 3 and an important new piece in the campaign to free Albert Woodfox and Herman Wallace who have now been held in solitary confinement for thirty-seven years.

The Brixton debut of the film was presented by Brightwide as part of the 2010 Human Rights Watch Film Festival. Directed by Vadim Jean, here is more from The Guardian: “The case of the Angola three first came to international attention following the campaigning efforts of the Body Shop founder and humanitarian Anita Roddick. Roddick heard about their plight from a young lawyer named Scott Fleming…”I was born in 1973,” he says. “I often think that for my entire life they have been in solitary.”

About the film

Herman Wallace, Albert Woodfox and Robert King spent almost a century between them in solitary confinement in Angola, the Louisiana State penitentiary. They are known as the Angola 3.

Herman and Albert are still in solitary confinement after thirty seven years. How could this be? In America. Today.

See this film because they can’t

In the Land of the Free… is a documentary feature narrated by Samuel L Jackson that examines the story of these extraordinary men who appear to have been targeted by the prison authorities for being members of the Black Panther Party and because they fought against the terrible conditions and systematic sexual slavery that was rife in the prison.

The film is directed by Vadim Jean (Leon the Pig Farmer, Terry Pratchett’s Hogfather) produced by the Mob film company (Terry Pratchett’s Colour of Magic, Stone of Destiny) Gold Circle Films (My Big Fat Greek Wedding, White Noise, A Haunting in Connecticut) and UKTV’s Yesterday films.