PRISON FOR PROFIT

By Ilse VAN VELZEN, Femke VAN VELZEN

JAVA FILMS - as SALES All rights, World

Documentary - Completed 2019


Festivals
& Awards

IDFA 2019
Dutch Competition
Thessaloniki Documentary Festival (online) 2021
Doc Market
    • Year of production
    • 2019
    • Genres
    • Documentary, Crime, Social issues
    • Countries
    • NETHERLANDS
    • Languages
    • AFRIKAANS, ENGLISH-UNITED STATES
    • Duration
    • 83 mn
    • Director(s)
    • Ilse VAN VELZEN, Femke VAN VELZEN
    • Writer(s)
    • Ilse VAN VELZEN, Femke VAN VELSEN
    • Producer(s)
    • Ilse VAN VELZEN (IFProductions), Femke VAN VELSEN (IFProductions)
    • Synopsis
    • What happens when governmental and intricate care-tasks like detention and rehabilitation are left to market forces and powerful international uncontrolled corporations take over? We follow journalist Hopkins and the lives of former prisoners and warders from South Africa’s Mangaung private prison, which is run by the controversial private security firm G4S, a worldwide British multi-billion company. Leaked video-footage filmed by guards shows the true face of this notorious prison from the inside. We expose how this profit-maximization system works, how they operate this prison and what the far-reaching negative consequences are for society.