Hi! My name is Zac Bentz, and I’m a rising senior Film and Media studies major. This summer, I have the pleasure of working as a part of the Unincarcerated Productions team as a Media Production and Operations Intern. Primarily, this means working with co-founder and director of production Vik Chopra on the extensive list of projects Unincarcerated currently has in development, which range from short sizzle reels to feature narrative and documentary films, and even limited streaming series.
Unincarcerated is a production company based out of Bellevue, WA that works to shift the collective consciousness around the prison industrial complex and those that have been affected by it, and to amplify the voices of those who are currently and formerly incarcerated, on their own terms. Everyone on the team has, at some point or another, either been incarcerated themselves or worked extensively with folks who have been, making Unincarcerated uniquely positioned to do this type of work.
One of the projects Unincarcerated currently has in development revolves around John McCoy and Ethan Hoffman’s 1981 book Concrete Mama, which follows a group of individuals incarcerated in the Washington State Penitentiary here in Walla Walla. This has been my main focus these past few months. We have driven around Walla Walla shooting B-roll footage, done extensive research on the subjects featured in the book–trying to determine whether or not they’re still alive, and if so, where they live and whether they’d be willing to speak with us–and workshopped formats for how the story is going to be structurally presented.
In addition to my work on the Concrete Mama project, I have also been lucky enough to help out as a production assistant on every film shoot Unincarcerated has organized this summer, including a co-production with the international menstrual justice nonprofit Operation Period, a series of interviews conducted by a San Francisco based journalist about formerly incarcerated folks’ experiences navigating technology post-release, and a narrative short film directed by Tyler Lewis, one of Unincarcerated’s frequent collaborators. I was also given the role of editor on the short promotional film Sister Abolitionist, which follows Sister Helen Prejean’s lengthy career as a death penalty abolitionist. Lastly, I have been working to revamp Unincarcerated’s social media presence, implementing an editorial schedule of posts that feature bios on the folks featured in our projects, as well as contributed blog posts by some of our collaborators.
I am beyond grateful for the time I have spent working with Unincarcerated this summer, and I hope to continue working with them long after the season wraps up. Film production and prison abolition are two of my most deeply rooted passions, so to find an organization where I am given the opportunity to connect them in such a direct and hands-on manner while forging valuable connections in each field has been affirming, inspiring, and given me a newfound sense of purpose going into my final year of college (which sure is a nice time to feel purposeful).
Experiences like Zac Bentz’s are made possible by the Whitman Internship Grant, which provides funding for students to participate in unpaid internships at nonprofit, some for-profit, and government organizations. We are happy to be sharing blog posts from students who were supported by either a summer, fall, spring, or year-long grants at organizations, businesses, and research labs all around the world. To learn how you could secure a Whitman Internship Grant or host a Whitman intern at your organization, contact us at ccec_info@whitman.edu.