CoINTELPRO - Paper City - Stop the School to Prison Pipeline
Akil's debut feature Paper City-Stop the School to Prison Pipeline is both a 45-minute film and curriculum inspired by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s final book, Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community made available as a free educational resource to counteract the school-to prison pipeline and continue the legacy of King in the age of mass incarceration.
Paper City is set in Holyoke, MA, a post-industrial city once known for its thriving paper industry has become known as an arson capital of America. Paper City began from interviews with middle school students who must navigate booming drug economies, struggling school systems, gang warfare, and unprecedented rates of incarceration in order to make it to graduation.
Paper City-Stop the School to Prison Pipeline
Role: Director, Producer, Cinematographer, Editor, Curriculum Director, Outreach Director
Paper City - Stop the School to Prison Pipeline is provided with curriculum created by educators from two national youth leadership programs: City Year and the Help Increase the Peace Project. This program is designed to educate and inspire communities to achieve the American Dream as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. envisioned in the age of mass incarceration. To watch the film and access the curriculum both are free on www.papercitymovie.com.
Film Festival Selections: Global Peace Film Festival, A3C Hip-Hop Festival and Conference, Chicago International Social Change Film Festival, Puerto Rican Heritage Film Festival, Southern Colorado Film Festival, Kickstarter Staff Pick