Help us tell our story!

And Counting... is a short hybrid film. A co-creation, a fictionalization based in reality, love, and healing.

The film takes place in the aftermath of incarceration. A mother and her formerly incarcerated son journey home from prison, confronting wounds and hopes to rebuild their bond. Written in collaboration with the real people, my family, whose lives inspired the story.

WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?

Six years ago, I set up a crowdfunding campaign to raise money for my cousin's legal fees. I did what I knew how to do. I told our story. I overcame shame and pride to ask for the help that we desperately needed AND YOU RESPONDED. Together, we raised over 15K to help cover my cousin’s legal fees.

Today, after years of heartbreak and pain, I can finally share some good news. After spending five years behind bars, my cousin finally walked free.

Now, as he works to rebuild his life and relationships post-incarceration, we are making a film together!

Together, we are writing our own story – not one of crime and punishment, but one of resilience, family, love, and healing.

The Story

The core of this project is a process of repair through filmmaking. Together, my aunt, cousin, and I are working to write a script based on the first few hours after his release from prison and the emotional car ride home.

While the road trip is a fictionalized re-creation, portrayed by professional actors, the act of re-telling and re-shaping the film’s narrative becomes a site where we explore the silences, ruptures, and possibilities that accompany separation and return.

If the past five years AND COUNTING… have taught me anything, it’s that the story of incarceration and family separation is an American story. Each time I share our story, I meet more people who have their own intimate relationships with the criminal justice system, either directly or through loved ones. This film is a healing practice. It is our way of refusing the power of the carceral state and asserting that prison is not the end of our family’s story.

Who We Are

Director: Arielle Knight

I am a filmmaker and creative producer committed to creating images that tell the story of the worlds that already exist, of freedom beyond cages. I make films about communities and families caring for each other and the planet. My filmmaking is a conjuring – calling forth a future worth dreaming and fighting for. I am a daughter, sister, and friend, and I make films about the people and places I love so that, in the words of Camille Billops, "one day they will find you and know you were all here together."

I have a brilliant team helping me bring this vision to life:

Producers: Li Yaffe , Alessandra Puig-Santana

Cinematographer: Zac Manuel

Starring: Olivia Wilson, Mo Bandele (as themselves)

Featuring: Ja’Quan Monroe-Henderson (Sinners, Nickel Boys) and Idella Johnson (Ma Beauty, Ma Belle)

The Good News!

We are almost there. This project has been supported by a fellowship from UFO - The Untitled Filmmaker Org , The Sundance Institute and Catapult Film Fund .

We are crowdfunding for the last remaining gap in our budget because we want to do this right and pay our crew fair wages and give this story the creative treatment it deserves.

With $15K we'll fund:

Post-Production - Sound Design and Score

Fair Wages for Crew

Lodging and meals during production

Remaining Production costs (transportation, location fees)