Matt Gallagher’s How To Prepare For Prison premieres at Hot Docs

Fuelled by fear, regret, defiance and redemption, How To Prepare For Prison follows the story of three people facing prison for the first time, directed and shot by Matt Gallagher.

Shot over three years, the feature goes behind the scenes and into the offices of lawyers and judges – and into the private homes of ordinary citizens caught in the crosshairs of the law.

By exploring fundamental questions of fairness and justice, the film challenges simplistic notions of crime and punishment. It forces us to consider the purpose of incarceration – are we seeking justice or deterrents or revenge?

“How To Prepare For Prison is a documentary which is a culmination of my fascination with prison life, an approach to filmmaking which seems uniquely suited to this story, and as it happens, an issue which is timely and relevant to our current social-political climate,” says Gallagher.”