IASH/History Documentary Series 2019
Prisoners and Pups (2017, 60 mins)
Directed by Shalom Almond
In the Adelaide Women’s Prison a small group of prisoners sign up to foster retired racing greyhounds to get them ready for adoption. The dogs were born into kennels, never knowing the sights and sounds of life beyond the track. Trained only to chase, many of them don’t know their names or how to take food from someone’s hand. The prisoners bear their own scars. They have just eight weeks to learn how to transform these institutionalised race hounds into house-friendly pets. If the prisoners can’t make it work, the dogs face an uncertain future, and could be euthanized – but the hardest test for the women turns out to be facing up to themselves. Can the prisoners and the dogs work together to give each other a second chance?
Filmmaker Shalom Almond premiered the award-winning Prisoners and Pups at the 2017 Adelaide Film Festival after spending four months documenting the lives of inmates at Adelaide Women's Prison. The film follows the prisoners as they train the greyhounds to be pets, and in the course of events find a new lease of life.
This event is sponsored by HASS Student Futures. The screening will be followed by FREE DRINKS AND SNACKS and a Q&A with the filmmaker Shalom Almond.
About IASH/History Documentary Series 2019
The IASH/History documentary series an outreach and enrichment activity for students in the Faculty. Events usually comprise the screening of a documentary film followed by a Q&A panel with experts in the field. In 2019, the series is being sponsored by HASS Student Futures.