“Prison Terminal: The Last Days of Private Jack Hall” by Edgar Barens is one of five films nominated in the documentary short category.
Filmed in the Iowa State Penitentiary over six months, the documentary follows army veteran Jack Hall in his last days and the hospice volunteers, themselves prisoners, who care for him.
The film provides a fascinating and often poignant account of how the hospice experience can profoundly touch the lives of the incarcerated. It demonstrates the fragility, as well as the holistic benefits, of a prison-based, prisoner-staffed hospice program.
In preparation for filming Prison Terminal, Barens attended a 14-week hospice volunteer training course offered by his local community hospice. The training provided him with the knowledge base to better understand the needs of the terminally ill patient and the duties of a hospice volunteer.
Before filming, Barnes spent a month with the prison hospice volunteers, correctional and medical staff and clergy, as well as staff from the community hospice, ‘getting’ the people and their routines. Once a trusting environment was established, the camera was gradually introduced into the environment and shooting steadily increased from day to day.
Further information about the film is available on its official website and on Vimeo.
The Academy award winners will be announced on 2 March 2014.
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