Pubdate: Fri, 11 Mar 2005
Source: Austin American-Statesman (TX)
Copyright: 2005 Austin American-Statesman
Contact:  http://www.statesman.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/32
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/women.htm (Women)

INCARCERATED - AND A GIRL SCOUT MOM

You might not expect a film about Girl Scouts to debut at the edgy
South by Southwest Film Festival that begins today. But then you might
not expect that the Girl Scouts have gone to prison -- so to speak.

Most of us know Girl Scouts as the peppy youngsters who stand on
neighborhood street corners selling cookies to raise money for their
programs. We buy their cookies, not only because they are tasty, but
also because we support the values and goals of the nation's largest
private club for girls. The Girl Scouts are about helping young girls
become successful women. Its programs help girls stay in school, build
self-esteem and connect with positive role models.

At 4 p.m. Saturday, Central Texans will have an opportunity to see
another side of Girl Scouts. The film, "Troop 1500," peeks inside the
lives of girls whose mothers are incarcerated at a Texas prison. This
extraordinary documentary, created by award-winning filmmakers Ellen
Spiro and Karen Bernstein, premiers at the Paramount Theater. It will
be shown on other dates (check Austin360 com/sxsw for complete
listings) throughout the film festival that ends March 19.

The 65-minute film focuses on the Lone Star Council's Beyond Bars
program and the girls in Troop 1500.

Filmmakers volunteered for two years with the troop before shooting
any footage. The film includes emotional interviews written and filmed
by the girls whose moms are locked up: "Why did you do drugs after
already spending time in prison?" a girl asks her mother. Another
daughter confronts her mom about how it makes her feel each time she
returns to prison, while another copes with having a mother sent to
prison for murder.

Troop 1500 serves girls ages 6 to 17 from four Central Texas counties
- -- Hays, Caldwell, Travis and Williamson. Their mothers are housed at
the Hilltop Unit in Gatesville. Aside from the usual
character-building activities, the troop makes regular visits to the
prison so girls can build stronger bonds with their mothers.

At the screening, the filmmakers will give a brief talk before the
movie. After the screening, those in attendance will have a chance to
speak with the seven girls in the film and two mothers who have been
released from prison. The film and discussion touch on a growing
problem as more women are imprisoned. Don't miss it.
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MAP posted-by: Richard Lake