Six women return to the abandoned Holloway Prison to participate in a women’s circle. Sharing some of the most intimate experiences of their lives, they unravel what led each of them to prison, building an eye-opening portrait of repeatedly failing systems, and discovering their extraordinary capacity to heal through sisterhood.
SYNOPSIS
Once Europe's largest women’s prison, Holloway now stands empty and abandoned. Six women return to its gates for the first time since their imprisonment, determined to reclaim their stories and give voice to those still behind bars. As they navigate the desolate cells and corridors, memories flood back.
In the prison's former chapel, the women gather for a transformative circle, confronting their conflicting feelings about Holloway—viewed by some as a nightmare, by others as a home. As trust builds through shared stories, deep-seated emotions and hidden fears emerge. Strikingly, they all have similar experiences of growing up with domestic violence and early punishment, revealing the harsh reality of broken systems that criminalize young women for their trauma. Together, they discuss accountability and systemic failures, embarking on a journey towards self-compassion. Through these women's bravery, HOLLOWAY highlights the transformative power of collective healing and the cathartic act of sharing one's experiences, ultimately finding strength in their shared resilience.
Director Statement
There are many “prison docs,” most of them about men, talking in a sensational, stigmatising and surface-level way. Our intentions with this film are the opposite of this. We want to create a radical sense of empathy. We do not shy away from challenging subject matter, we embrace complexity, and the film is not afraid to be confronting in its approach, yet this is always underpinned by a spirit of compassion and care. We believe that radical honesty and vulnerability, even when this feels uncomfortable, is a healing force. We are prepared to be vulnerable and honest in the film’s form as well as its content.
We set out to present our contributors as their multi-faceted, complex, generous, wise and often hilarious selves. We wanted them to be framed not as ‘perpetrators’ or ‘victims’ or just survivors of abuse, but also trailblazers, driven by a determination to break generational cycles. We want this film to bring you into the women’s perspective and this is how we have built its visual language.
This film lets us really feel the weight of our societal decision to incarcerate, not support, women dealing with trauma. However these women embody that another way is possible.
Supporter Statement
"Our Programming team was very impressed with Sophie Compton and Daisy-May Hudson’s deeply affecting new feature. We admired how beautifully it observes the discussions, giving the film’s subjects space to speak openly and share their stories."
- Festival Programmer at Top-tier festival, information confidential
ABOUT FILMMAKER(S)
Director Sophie Compton
Sophie Compton is a Emmy and BIFA nominated, Grierson Shortlisted, SXSW Award Winning documentary director. Her debut feature ANOTHER BODY follows a college student’s search for justice after discovering deepfake pornography of her. It was supported by Sundance Institute, International Documentary Association, Impact Partners. It played at SXSW, Hot Docs, Doc Edge, FilmFest München, New/Next, Mill Valley, IDFA and other festivals, winning awards including SXSW’s Special Jury Award for Innovation in Storytelling, Sidewalk’s Jury Award, and multiple Audience Awards. Acquired by Utopia and Modern Films it will be released in cinemas across the US, UK and Canada, and on BBC Storyville, CBC Gem and others. She has also produced/directed projects at the Tate Modern, V&A, Copeland Gallery, Cockpit and other venues. She runs impact projects to amplify survivor voices, working with organisations including The White House, World Economic Forum, UK Law Commission and many international NGOs on law, policy and culture change. She trained in trauma-informed practice with Clean Break.
Director Daisy-May Hudson
Daisy-May Hudson is a BAFTA’s Breakthrough, Grierson-nominated and BFI Documentary fellow director. Her debut feature HALF WAY followed her family’s experience of homelessness and was self distributed in cinemas all across the UK. It was nominated for a BIFA Award and Grierson Award. She worked as associate director on Kevin Macdonald and Ridley Scott’s LIFE IN A DAY 2020. She has recently wrapped production on her first scripted feature LOLLIPOP with BBC Films and BFI produced by Parkville Pictures and is sold by Architect, which followed the story of a woman leaving prison and the sisterhood that comes when we allow ourselves to be loved. LOLLIPOP will be having it's World Premiere at the Edinburgh International Film Festival.
Alice Hughes is an award-winning and BIFA and Grierson-nominated producer. Her first feature Half Way led the director to be named BAFTA Breakthrough Brit in 2017. Her short Motherland was shortlisted for a Grierson in 2020. Another, Until The Tide Creeps In, won best of the festival at Aesthetica in 2022. Her latest, Puffling, world premiered at SXSW, won best doc at Academy Award Qualifying Aspen Shorts Fest, featured on Doc NYC’s Shortlist and was short-listed for a BIFA and a Grierson. Alice has had films funded twice by BFI Doc Society, The Uncertain Kingdom, Field of Vision and more, had work featured on The New Yorker, Nowness and BFI Player with multiple picks on Short of the Week and Vimeo Staff Pick. Alice was a Sheffield Doc Fest Future Producer in 2023.
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