Belly of the Beast

A film by Erika Cohn, Produced by Angela Tucker, Christen Marquez, and Nicole Docta

US | 2020 | 81 minutes | Color | DVD | English | Order No. W201262 |

Filmed over seven years with extraordinary access and intimate accounts from currently and formerly incarcerated people, this Emmy-winning documentary exposes a pattern of illegal sterilizations, modern-day eugenics and reproductive injustice in California prisons.

License:

Format:

PRICE:

Host a screening

Watch on Kanopy

SYNOPSIS

When a courageous young woman and a radical lawyer discover a pattern of illegal sterilizations in California’s women’s prisons, they wage a near-impossible battle against the Department of Corrections. With a growing team of investigators inside prison working with colleagues on the outside, they uncover a series of statewide crimes -- from inadequate health care to sexual assault to coercive sterilizations -- primarily targeting women of color. This shocking legal drama captured over 7-years features extraordinary access and intimate accounts from currently and formerly incarcerated people, demanding attention to a shameful and ongoing legacy of eugenics and reproductive injustice in the United States.

BELLY OF THE BEAST is a co-production of Belly of the Beast LLC, Idle Wild Films Inc., Black Public Media (BPM) and Independent Television Service (ITVS), with funding provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

PRESS

"Shocking."

Washington Post

"Whistleblower testimonies, expert commentary and powerful archival footage are well-paced throughout the film and reveal a darker truth when it comes to advocating for the rights of incarcerated people: Those on the frontline are not only fighting bad actors who abuse their power, they are also battling a public that at best does not care and at worst condones it."

New York Times

"Harrowing."

NPR

"A powerful exposé of human rights abuses of women in the criminal justice system."

Human Rights Watch Film Festival

“Horrifying and fascinating all at once.”

Screen Comment

"An exposé of modern-day eugenics in the United States."

Mill Valley Film Festival

"Erika Cohn's follow-up to her multi-award-winning THE JUDGE, tracks down a previously little-known story about enforced—and illegal—sterilization of female inmates in California's correctional facilities."

IDA

"Filmmaker Erika Cohn’s BELLY OF THE BEAST tackles a tough subject — the forced sterilization of women inmates at a California prison — with journalistic fire and sensitive artistry."

Sean P. Means Salt Lake City Tribune

“It’s like an onion, and you just keep peeling and seeing just layers and layers and layers of systemic injustice on so many intersectional levels...absolutely worth watching for students.”

Beth Seymour ACT Human Rights Film Festival Managing Director

SCREENING HIGHLIGHTS AND AWARDS

Emmy Award for Outstanding Current Affairs Documentary
American Library Association Notable Films for Adults 2022
93rd Oscars Shortlist, Best Original Song
Special Jury Mention, Documentary Feature, Social Impact Media Awards
Peabody Award Nominee
Honorable Mention, American Bar Association Silver Gavel Awards
Best Director, Documentary Feature, Centre Film Festival
Honorable Mention, Best Feature Documentary Film, Womens Voices Now Film Festival

Opening Night Film, Human Rights Watch Film Festival
Opening Night Film, Repro Film Festival
Mill Valley Film Festival
Double Exposure Investigative Film Festival
Athena Film Festival
Philadelphia Latino Film Festival
Duluth Superior Film Festival
rePRO Film Fest
Vancouver International Black Film Festival
United Nations Association Film Festival
Montreal Black Film Festival
Hawaii International Film Festival
Rocky Mountain Women’s Film Festival
Heartland Film Festival

ABOUT FILMMAKER(S)

Erika Cohn

Erika Cohn is a Peabody and Emmy Award-winning director/producer who Variety recognized as one of 2017’s top documentary filmmakers to watch and was featured in DOC NYC’s 2019 “40 Under 40.” Most recently, Erika completed The Judge, a Peabody Award-winning and Emmy-nominated film about the first woman judge appointed to the Middle East’s Shari’a courts, which premiered at the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival and was broadcast on PBS’ 2018 Independent Lens series. (10/20)

Angela Tucker

Angela Tucker is a writer, director and Emmy nominated producer who works in narrative and documentary genres. Her directorial work includes “All Skinfolk, Ain’t Kinfolk,”a documentary short which aired PBS’ Reel South about a mayoral election in New Orleans. A Visiting Professor at Tulane University, Tucker was a Sundance Institute Women Filmmakers Initiative Fellow. (10/20)

Credits

Directed and Produced by Erika Cohn
Produced by Angela Tucker, Christen Marquez, Nicole Docta
Executive Produced by Geralyn Dreyfous, Blye Faust, Mark Lipson, Patty Quillin, Doree Friedman, Diane Philips
Executive Producers for ITVS: Lois Vossen, Sally Jo Fifer
Co-Executive Producers: Barbara Dobkin, Gretchen Sisson
Consulting Producers: Carrie Lozano, Brittney Shepherd
Supervising Producer for ITVS Amy Shatsky
Edited by Tchavdar Georgiev, ACE, Jean Kawahara
Cinematography by Clare Major, Bianca Travis Cline
Composer: Omar Fadel
Music Supervisor: Tracy McKnight
Consulting Editors: Kate Amend, Ken Schneider, Sabrina Gordon
Investigative Producer: Linda Himelstein

Featuring (in order of appearance) Kelli Dillon, Cynthia Chandler, Theresa Martinez, Melody Nickles, Courtney Hooks, Corey Johnson, Dorothy Roberts, Kimberly Jeffrey, Robin Levi, Crystal Nguyen, Former OB Nurse, Senator Hannah-Beth Jackson

“See What You’ve Done” Written by Mary J. Blige, Darhyl Camper, Jr., Denisia Andrews and Brittany Coney, Performed by Mary J. Blige

Mary J. Blige appears courtesy of Mary Jane Productions, Inc.

Press

View the Press Kit

The Daily Beast
“Not Just ICE: A California Prison Sterilized Her and Other Black Women”

Washington Post
New Movies to Stream this Week: 'Martin Eden,' 'Time,' 'Belly of the Beast' and more.

Democracy Now
“Belly of the Beast”: Survivors of Forced Sterilizations in California’s Prisons Fight for Justice”
Variety
Mary J. Blige Enters Oscars Race for Original Song (EXCLUSIVE)
Broadway World
“BELLY OF THE BEAST Documentary Out Oct. 16”
Hollywood Reporter
“Inaugural rePRO Film Fest to Open With 'Belly of the Beast' Doc (Exclusive)” 
Broadway World
“BELLY OF THE BEAST Director, Erika Cohn, Talks Eugenics & The Sterilization of Women Prisoners on Tom Needham's SOUNDS OF FILM”
Real Screen
“Westdoc Online features “Belly of the Beast” director Erika Cohn” 
The Guardian
“Belly of the Beast: California's dark history of forced sterilizations”
The Root
“Belly of the Beast Documentary Aims to Uncover Injustices Faced by Incarcerated Women”
Scenester
“Erika Cohn’s ‘Belly of The Beast’ To Have World Premiere Opening Night Film Of 2020 Human Rights Watch Film Festival New York Digital Edition” 
The Daily Beast
“Inside America’s Horrifying Modern-Day Eugenics Movement”
- Movie Cricket
  'Belly of the Beast' documents eugenics in a California prison, and introduces two heroes fighting to end it
- Variety
  Oscar Predictions: Best Documentary Feature - Election Day Lingers in Multiple Contenders
- Variety
  VARIETY predicts Mary J. Blige's "See What You've Done," written for Belly of the Beast to be an Oscar contender for Best Original Song
- The Nerdy Girl Express
  Belly of the Beast and Coded Bias Human Rights Watch Film Festival Showcase from @kleffnotes
- CherryPicks
  Belly of the Beast Review
- Midwest Film Journal
  Heartland 2020: The Belly of the Beast
- The Arts STL
  Belly of the Beast Review
- Screen Comment
  Belly of the Beast: Modern-day eugenics in California's prisons
- Film Forward
  Belly of the Beast Review by Benjamin Tran
- The 19th
  ‘Belly of the Beast’ spotlights forced sterilizations in California prisons
- DJ Daley
  Mary J Blige's new single "See What You've Done" from the "Belly Of The Beast" Film.
- Eye for Film
  Belly Of The Beast (2020) Film Review
- Unseen Films
  Belly of Beast (2020) opens Friday
- KUTV
  Review: California's history of forced sterilization revealed in 'Belly of the Beast'
- KJZZ
  What to watch at home and in theaters this weekend October 16-18, 2020
- Berkeleyside
  Small Screen Berkeley: Highlights from the Mill Valley Film Festival
- Salt Lake Tribune
  In ‘Belly of the Beast,’ Utah filmmaker examines modern ‘eugenics’ in women’s prisons
- Women and Hollywood
  Pick of the Day: “Belly of the Beast”
- Rolling Stone
  Mary J. Blige Drops ‘See What You’ve Done’ From ‘Belly of the Beast’ Documentary
- Salt Lake City Weekly
  Movie Reviews: New Releases for Oct. 15-16
- San Diego Reader
  Belly of the Beast Review

Subject Areas

Activism African American Gender Human Rights Law Racism Reproductive Rights Criminal Justice

The Judge

Peabody Award winner and Emmy nominated THE JUDGE provides rare insight into Shari’a law, an often-misunderstood legal framework for Muslims, told through the eyes of the first woman judge to be appointed to the Middle East’s religious courts.

Learn more

A Woman on the Outside

A deeply American story about the legacy of mass incarceration. Kristal Bush, who has watched nearly every man in her life disappear into prison, channels her struggle into reuniting other Philadelphia families divided by the correctional system.

Learn more

WINN

This powerful, short documentary exposes the horrifying experience that incarcerated pregnant women endure and documents Pamela Winn's mission to end shackling and ultimately prison birth.

Learn more

Apart

Against the backdrop of a Midwestern state battling industrial decline, an opioid epidemic, and rising incarceration rates, APART offers an intimate portrait of three women who return home from prison and rebuild their lives after being separated from their children for years.

Learn more

America's War on Abortion

In this BAFTA award-winning film, two-time Emmy and Peabody award-winning filmmaker Deeyah Khan examines the erosion of reproductive rights in the United States, foregrounding the stories of those often forgotten in this ‘war’ who nonetheless find themselves on its frontline: impoverished women and women of color.

Learn more

Abortion Helpline, This is Lisa

At the Philadelphia abortion helpline, counselors field nonstop calls from women and teens who are seeking to end a pregnancy but can’t afford to, illustrating how economic stigma and cruel laws determine who has access to abortion in America.

Learn more

Breach of Trust

Told from the point of view of women advocating for accountability and change, this compelling documentary by USC Graduate Mishal Mahmud examines the sexual assault scandal at the University of Southern California, detailing crimes committed by former gynecologist Dr. George Tyndall and exposing the active cover-up on the part of the administration.

Learn more

Birthright: A War Story

BIRTHRIGHT: A WAR STORY examines how women are being jailed, physically violated and even put at risk of dying as a radical movement tightens its grip across America.

Read Civia Tamarkin's director's statement here.

Learn more

Sin by Silence

From behind prison walls, a group of extraordinary women are shattering misconceptions of domestic violence. An important film that profiles Convicted Women Against Abuse (CWAA), the US prison system’s first inmate initiated group and led by women, SIN BY SILENCE is an essential resource featuring more than two hours of bonus materials, including interviews with experts on abusive relationships, law enforcement leaders and leaders in faith-based communities about domestic violence, and more. Created by Brenda Clubine in 1989, CWAA has changed laws for battered women, raised awareness for those on the outside, and educated a system that does not fully comprehend the complexities of domestic abuse. Like many CWAA members, Brenda’s years of inflicted abuse were never fully revealed. But because of CWAA’s work and advocacy, new laws were enacted that now allow incarcerated survivors to challenge their original conviction. With unprecedented access inside the California Institution for Women, this emotionally packed documentary tells the stories of courageous women who have learned from their past, are changing their future, and teaching us how domestic violence affects each and every person.

Learn more

Home Truth

In the wake of her daughters’ murders, a mother takes a historic lawsuit about police non-enforcement of restraining orders to the Supreme Court.

Learn more

The Grey Area: Feminism Behind Bars

Closed captioned and audio described DVD available on request. Please email [email protected]

Learn more

Mothers of Bedford

Women are the fastest-growing U.S. prison population today. Eighty percent are mothers of school-age children. Jenifer McShane's absorbing documentary gives human dimensions to these rarely reported statistics, taking us inside Bedford Hills Correctional Facility, a maximum security prison north of New York City. Shot over four years, MOTHERS OF BEDFORD follows five women - of diverse backgrounds and incarcerated for different reasons- in dual struggles to be engaged in their children's lives and become their better selves. It shows how long-term sentences affect mother-child relationships and how Bedford's innovative Children's Center helps women maintain and improve bonds with children and adult relatives awaiting their return. Whether it be parenting's normal frustrations to celebrating a special day, from both inside and out of the prison walls, this moving film provides unprecedented access to a little known, rarely shown, community of women.

Learn more

900 Women

“The Louisiana Correctional Institute is located in the swamps of southern Louisiana in the small town of St. Gabriel. Built in 1970 to house an increasing population of female convicts, today it houses the state's most dangerous female prisoners and often exceeds its population capacity of 900. 75% of these are mothers and one fourth of them are serving sentences of fifteen years or more. The prison compound has a surreal quality; there are no searchlight-capped towers or barbed wire fences. Filmmaker Khadivi delivers a striking, sensitive portrait of life in this deceptively peaceful atmosphere, which is filled with stories of life on the streets, abuse, freedom, childbirth and motherhood. Six women - a grandmother, a young high school student, a pregnant woman, a recovering heroin addict, a prison guard, and the only woman on death row - were brave enough to share their frustrations and hopes. Produced by Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Jonathan Stack ("The Farm").” - Human Rights Watch Film Festival Catalogue

Learn more

Freedom Road

FREEDOM ROAD is a barren stretch that leads in and out of the Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women. Yet for some of the women incarcerated there, freedom has been redefined through the power of the pen. A testament to the profound influence of arts and education, Lorna Johnson’s compelling film features six female prisoners who are part of a unique memoir-writing workshop called “Woman is the Word.” Reading classic autobiographies such as INCIDENTS IN THE LIFE OF A SLAVE GIRL by Harriet Ann Jacobs and THE CANCER JOURNALS by Audre Lorde, the women are empowered to claim the events of their own lives and retell their own stories—ultimately liberating them from long-held secrets and silence. Moving interviews with the women inmates, their instructors and family members combined with verité footage of their fascinating classroom discussions reveal how poverty, under-education, domestic abuse have had a role in the destiny of many women in the program. Ultimately, the film examines the devastating cycle of imprisonment for the poor and underprivileged, and points to an inspired embodiment of prison reform.

Learn more

OUR CATALOG