The Farm: Angola, USA is a 1998 documentary film set in the notorious and largest American maximum-security prison, Louisiana State Penitentiary, known as Angola. Loosely based on articles published in Life Sentences, drawn from the prison magazine, The Angolite, the film was directed and produced by Jonathan Stack and Liz Garbus. Wilbert Rideau, a life prisoner (now released) who had been editor of the magazine since 1975, also participated in direction and was credited on the film.
The film follows the lives of seven prison inmates, including Rideau, who tell their own stories of life, death, and survival in a world that few manage to leave. It was filmed during the early years of the long tenure of Warden Burl Cain (1995–2016), who is credited with reducing violence at the prison and establishing many programs to support rehabilitation of the men.
The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. It won the Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury prize, and both the New York and the Los Angeles Film Critics awards for Best Documentary of ‘98. After airing on A&E, it won an Emmy Award.
Years later, Stack followed up with the documentary The Farm: 10 Down (2009), exploring the lives of the survivors of this group 10 years later. One man had been executed and one had died during the making of the first film. Ten years later, three men had gained freedom; two of the first six remained in prison.
+ Inmates profiled Inmate Year imprisoned Sentence Conviction Status John A. Brown Jr. 1984 Death First degree murder and robbery Executed in 1997Ann S. Lewis, "Life and Nothing But", Austin Chronicle, 06 November 1998; accessed 22 May 2017 George Crawford 1994 Life First degree murder Wilbert Rideau 1961 Death (commuted to life in 1972) First degree murder and kidnapping Released in 2005 after his conviction was reduced to manslaughter in his 4th trial Vincent Simmons 1977 100 years Two counts of attempted aggravated rape Released in 2022 after his conviction was overturned Eugene "Bishop" Tanniehill 1956 Life Second degree murder and armed robbery Released by Gov. Kathleen Blanco in August 2007 Logan "Bones" Theriot 1987 Life Murder of wife Died in prison of lung cancer in 1997 Ashanti Witherspoon 1972 75 years Armed robbery Paroled in 1999
Reception On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 100% based on 6 reviews, with an average rating of 6.7/10.
Awards Sundance Film Festival – Grand Jury Prize, 1998 Academy Awards – Best Documentary Feature: Nominee, 1999 Doubletake Documentary Film Festival – Audience Award, 1998 Emmy Awards – 1999 Outstanding Achievement in Non-Fiction Programming – Cinematography Outstanding Achievement in Non-Fiction Programming – Picture Editing Outstanding Achievement in Non-Fiction Programming – Sound Editing: Nominee Outstanding Non-Fiction Special: Nominee Santa Barbara International Film Festival – Best Documentary, 2000 Florida Film Festival – Grand Jury Prize, 1998 San Francisco Film Festival – Golden Gate Award, 1998 New York Film Critics Circle – Best Non-Fiction Film, 1998 National Society of Film Critics – Best Non-Fiction Film, 1999 Los Angeles Film Critics Association – Best Documentary Film, 1999 Taos Talking Pictures Film Festival – Taos Land Grant Award: Nominee, 1998 Thurgood Marshall Award, 1999 Satellite Awards – Best Documentary: Nominee – 1998
References
External links
The Farm: Angola, USA at Seventh Art Releasing