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What I Want My Words to Do to You (2003)

By Madeleine Gavin, Judith Katz and Gary Sunshine

In this Case Study
The Film
Strategy & Goals
Resource Materials
Outcomes

The Film

What I Want My Words to Do to You offers an unprecedented look into the minds and hearts of the women inmates of New York's Bedford Hills Correctional Facility. The film goes inside a writing workshop led by playwright Eve Ensler, consisting of fifteen women, most of whom were convicted of murder. Through a series of exercises and discussions, the women, including former Weather Underground members Kathy Boudin and Judith Clark, delve into and expose the most terrifying places in themselves, as they grapple with the nature of their crimes and their own culpability. The film culminates in an emotionally charged prison performance of the women's writing by acclaimed actresses Glenn Close, Marisa Tomei, Rosie Perez, Hazelle Goodman, and Mary Alice. The film was produced and directed by Madeleine Gavin, Judith Katz and Gary Sunshine. What I Want My Words to Do to You had its national broadcast premiere on PBS' P.O.V. series on December 16, 2003.

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