Daddy’s Glass House Documentary-In-Progress
Inspired by Samantha’s decade-long friendship with Kenneth Foster Jr., a father, poet, and inmate in a Texas prison, Daddy’s Glass House is a film project that reveals aspects of the prison system’s underbelly, mainly through the insightful perspectives of the young people it affects the most.
The film itself braids the stirring stories of three heroines–young women whose fathers are, or have been, incarcerated. Principally, the audience journeys through the life and times of Kenneth’s daughter Nydesha (who was a year when he was sentenced). Her story is supported by that of Fatima (whose dad, after leaving prison, got deported to Sierra Leone) and Angelica (who took her first steps at Rikers Island).
Though their stories differ, the film’s three disarming subjects, all between ages 18-20, have experienced the reality of having a father in prison, for a significant period of their lives. They are apt spokespersons against this national travesty, giving voice to the millions like them, who have little to no platform for their stories. Each subject began filming when she was still in high school.
Samantha started producing and co-directing Daddy’s Glass House in 2011 with director Derek Jones. Within that two year period at the film’s inception, they filmed coast to coast, and in four countries in Europe. They rolled out a teaser for the film in 2012.
“Daddy’s Glass House” The Documentary Teaser from Derek Jones on Vimeo.
At present, Samantha is collaborating with LA-based director and cinematographer Zac Murphy, of FlyEye Media. In 2013, the duo co-authored a short documentary, shot by Zac, featuring Samantha, Angelica and the State of Liberty. This short documentary, The Flame of Inspiration, was sponsored by the German company Siemens Global, and published on their YouTube platform.
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Daddy’s Glass House documentary project has survived this long on Samantha’s personal resources, combined with monetary donations from friends and family through the Daddy’s Glass House Fractured Atlas Page.
To learn more about Kenneth and Nydesha, the flames of inspiration behind the Daddy’s Glass House film project, visit: freekenneth.com.