France: on camera

Film director Mark Alexandre Montout travelled to Basse-Terre prison in Guadeloupe to film a cookery competition.

Mark Alexandre Montout is a film director from Guadeloupe. He directed the 2016 documentary Karukera, which explores violence in Guadeloupe and identifies its causes. A big hit in the Caribbean, the film has travelled across the oceans. Mark Alexandre Montout has showcased the film in several African countries, desiring to “build bridges between Europe, the Caribbean and Africa.”

Last November, he produced Derrière les murs (Behind the Walls), a documentary shot in Basse-Terre prison. The documentary features educational workshops in prison, covering health awareness, disease prevention, addictive behaviours, nutrition, and interpersonal skills. The workshops end with a cooking masterclass. Prison Insider asked the director three questions.

In particular, the documentary encourages people to ask themselves the following question: what can you do when you are behind bars?

Watch the trailer

https://vimeo.com/ondemand/derrierelesmurs

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Prison Insider: Why did you make 'Behind the Walls’?

Mark Alexandre Montout. I am originally from Basse-Terre, where the prison is located. I used to walk past this prison every day on my way to school. As children, we were afraid of the prison. It was a scary place and an unknown world we did not understand. The prison has been here for 193 years. Now it will be knocked down and rebuilt, and this building will disappear. I wanted to use this transition period to document what goes on behind its walls.

The purpose of my film wasn’t to focus on what the prisoners had done or why they had done it. I wanted to show what can happen when you leave those surroundings. I wanted to focus on the systems society has implemented to support reintegration. I think this documentary demonstrates that reoffending isn’t the only option.

Behind the Walls is a continuation of Karukera. In this film, a young man discloses he spent some time in prison. He says he learnt things in prison that he wouldn’t have learnt on the outside. What we see in Karukera, can be found in Behind the Walls. That’s what interested me: to show what we don’t see or aren’t aware of. I wanted to increase awareness of social work and break down stereotypes. Prison can also be a place of learning and reflection, and the assistance provided in prison, such as the activities shown in Behind the Walls, can support this.

I wanted to highlight the human aspect and avoid sensationalising.

PI: How did the project come about? What was filming like?

MAM. The Regional Authority for education and health promotion (IREPS) has set up a project to promote health in prisons, “Health Connections“¹. IREPS wanted me to make a film about the project. I proposed a long-form film that would continue on from Karukera. I wanted to highlight the human aspect and avoid sensationalising. It wasn’t about showing the prisoners who live 15 to a cell, even if I had seen this with my own eyes. With the backing of the Regional Health Agency (ARS) and the prison, my film was accepted.

Honestly, I had free rein with this documentary. There was no censorship from either the prison, the IREPS, or any other stakeholder. On the contrary, they knew about my compassionate approach with Karukera, which caused problems at the time. I film the raw essence of a subject. I showed the film to the prison administration and trade unions, who did not react negatively.

The Health Connections project aims to strengthen services and resources necessary to improve prisoners’ well-being. It was implemented at Basse-Terre prison between 2019 and 2021. ↩

The practitioners do so much, and I think their work isn'tt properly acknowledged.

PI. What role does the voice of the prisoners play in this documentary?

MAM. I wanted the prisoners to be able to express themselves. I think they were able to. At every workshop I filmed, I invited them to come and talk to the camera to describe their feelings, although I don’t know if it was enough.

When filming began, the prisoners were wary of the camera and didn’t accept it. They said: “they want to put us in a freak show”. It was tricky. What saved me was that some workshop participants had already seen Karukera, which helped to reassure them. They came to accept the camera. They knew we wouldn’t show their face on screen, and this anonymity enabled them to speak freely. At the end of the documentary, the prisoners provide feedback and explain that we understood them and treated them respectfully. Some prisoners have seen the film since being released and are very proud of it.

That said, it is possible that we gave the practitioners more of a voice; they do so much for the prisoners, and I think their work isn’t properly acknowledged. My goal was not to condemn prison conditions or to show prison in a positive light. What I wanted to show is that it’s possible for prisoners to get their lives back and that there are resources available to help.

Interview by Romane Vilain and translated by Chloë McQuarrie and proofread by Marika Forsythe

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