On March 23 2015, Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy told Congress that the American correction system is “broken” and solitary confinement “literally drives men mad.” On the same day, which coincided with a California day of action to end solitary confinement, Think Ten Media Group launched the pilot episode of its web-series on solitary confinement, “The wHOLE”. Directed and produced by its Co-Founders and award-winning filmmakers Ramon Hamilton and Jennifer Fischer, “The wHOLE” offers a timely and gritty look at mass incarceration, based on true stories, beginning with solitary confinement or ‘the hole’.

Inspired by the Pelican Bay Prison Hunger Strikes in 2013, “The wHOLE” covers the issue of solitary confinement in the most honest way possible. The show’s lead actor, William Brown, who plays Marcus, has spent time in prison, including in isolation. Five Mualimmak, a Co-Producer for the pilot episode, spent 5 years in solitary confinement. “The wHOLE” was also shot in an actual prison, Wapato Jail located in Portland, Oregon. These bring a strong authenticity to the series’ core message, “The treatment of a person inside the hole is a reflection of society as a whole.”

The great team of “The wHOLE” further includes Jonathan Sanger, the Academy Award winning Executive Producer, as well as Dr. Arvind Singhal, Entertainment Education specialist at the University of Texas-El Paso. Singhal described “The wHOLE” as “[A] powerful, compelling, and heart-stirring tale of how humans put humans in “cages” in the name of rehabilitation.” “The wHOLE” has also partnered with various prestigious organizations such as Amnesty International which re-launched #ArtforAmnesty to embrace the #PowerOfArt in promoting human rights.

“The wHOLE” had a successful premier screening at Amnesty International’s General Meeting and Human Rights Conference on March 21 and 22, right before the official launch of its pilot episode. Today, Ramon Hamilton, the Writer/Direct of “The wHOLE” also spoke about the project on the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) Blog of Rights in a discussion that included Amy Fettig, Senior Counsel for the ACLU’s National Prison Project and Jeff D., a solitary survivor. “The wHOLE” is now moving forward its crowd-funding campaign to produce upcoming episodes of the people, from the people, by the people.

Film scenes (WARNING: Explicit language): http://www.thewholeseries.com

About Think Ten Media Group

Santa Clarita Valley-based Think Ten Media Group tells powerful stories about individuals and groups society often overlooks. It seeks to bring forth THEIR humanity to reconnect with OURS. It believes that media has the power to inspire change, motivate action and compel deep thinking and conversation globally.

The full list of the partners of “The wHOLE” includes the following organizations:

ACLU Nationwide, Amnesty International, Solitary Watch, National Religious Campaign Against Torture, General Board of Church and Society, JustLeadershipUSA, American Friends Service Committee, NYC Jails Action Coalition (JAC), The Bronx Defenders, Brooklyn Defenders, Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon, Partnership for Safety and Justice (in Portland), Sponsors, Inc., Send-A-Package.com, Media Changemakers, Broken On All Sides, and Campaign To End The New Jim Crow.