Hip-Hop, mi desahogo.

Doing time anywhere is tough, but especially in Latin America. The majority of prisoners on the continent have to deal with overcrowding, poor conditions, and there are regular cases of human rights abuses. In the summer of 2013 I was lucky enough to be given permission to film in one of the regions best prisons. I spend over two months inside Colombia’s Distrital prison, where the emphasis is placed upon rehabilitation, and inmates have the opportunity to take part in workshops that provide them with the skills they need once they leave prison. For Hip-Hop, mi desahogo (Hip-Hop, my release) I focused on three characters, Alma Negra, New York and DJ Roky, who used Hip-Hop as a way to express themselves and share their stories with others so that they could learn from their mistakes.

With this film I wanted to discover the importance of Hip-Hop for marginalized people and give them a bigger platform to share their story with the world. I believe it’s important for these guys to be heard and included, also because at some point they’ll come back and rejoin society. If you want to make sure they’ll cope with the real world and stop re-offending, then we need to be more open towards them, listen to them, rather than ignoring them. Sure they’ve made mistakes, but above all, they are human beings.

For more information please visit the film’s website: www.hiphopmyrelease.com