How long is long enough? This is the question that inspired John Lucas’ The Cooler Bandits (2014), a documentary that follows four friends in four stages of incarceration, struggling to confront their future after twenty years in prison. Lending voice to personal experiences of incarceration, the film encourages viewers to grapple with the inequities of our criminal justice system. Join director and artist John Lucas for a special online screening of The Cooler Bandits, followed by a joint discussion with Lucas and those documented in the film. Programmed in partnership with Capital City Film Festival and The Robin Theatre. Registration is required: https://50807.blackbaudhosting.com/50807/Broad-Underground-Film-Series-John-Lucas-and-The-Cooler-Bandits.
John Lucas has worked as a documentary photographer for more than 25 years. John has directed and produced several cutting-edge multimedia projects including collaborative work with poet Claudia Rankine. In 2014 he completed his first feature length documentary entitled, The Cooler Bandits, which was awarded best documentary at the 2014 Harlem International Film Festival.
This program is presented in affilation with John Lucas and Claudia Rankine: Situations, now on view at the MSU Broad. Shown for the first time in a solo exhibition, the collaboratively produced videos address both explicit acts of racism and the insidious racist aggressions that are built into institutional structures and everyday life.
Broad Underground is an ongoing collaboration between the MSU Broad, Michigan State University Film Studies program, and the Michigan State University English Department. This year’s partnering venue is The Robin Theatre in REO Town, Lansing. Special thanks to the Abrams planetarium and Lansing Public Media Center for their continued support.
All events are FREE and open to the public unless otherwise noted.