Sweethearts of the Prison Rodeo

Sweethearts of the Prison Rodeo goes behind prison walls to follow convict cowgirls on their journey to the 2007 Oklahoma State Penitentiary Rodeo. Since 1940, the Oklahoma State Penitentiary has held an annual “Prison Rodeo.” Part Wild West show and part coliseum-esque spectacle, it’s one of the last of its kind--a relic of the American penal system. Prisoners compete on wild-broncs and bucking bulls, risking life-long injuries. In 2006, female inmates were allowed to participate for the first time. In a state with the highest female incarceration rate in the country, these women share common experiences such as broken homes, drug abuse and alienation from their children. Within this strange arena, the prisoners become the heroes while the public and guards applaud.

Trailer

Credits

Director/Writer/Producer: Bradley Beesley
Producers: Amy Dotson, James Payne
Executive Producers: Julie Goldman, Krysanne Katsoolis, Caroline Stevens
Cinematographers: Alan Novey, Bradley Beesley
Editor: Louisiana Kreutz
Composer: Jason Quever
Total Running Time: 90 min.
Website: sweetheartsoftheprisonrodeo.com

About The Filmmaker

Sweethearts of the Prison Rodeo is another chapter in BRADLEY BEESLEY’s cinematic career documenting oddball Americana, strange sub-cultures and homegrown rock stars. Post-art school, he made Hill Stomp Hollar, about legendary bluesman R.L. Burnside; the film premiered at the South by Southwest Film and Music Festival (SXSW). Beesley has since directed nine feature-length films, including seven documentaries, a concert film and a science fiction narrative. He is the producer and director of the backwoods cult classic Okie Noodling (PBS), which chronicles the lost art of bare-handed catfishing in his home state of Oklahoma, and continues to have encore broadcasts nationwide. In 2005, Shout! Factory released The Fearless Freaks, a documentary starring the legendary Oklahoma art-rock band The Flaming Lips. Beesley has collaborated on over 15 music videos with the Lips, and most recently teamed up with Lips frontman Wayne Coyne to make the science fiction picture Christmas on Mars. (Warner Bros.) Other feature documentaries include The Creek Runs Red (Independent Lens), Summercamp! (Sundance Channel) and UFO’s at the Zoo (Warner Bros.) His TV credits include Roller Girls (A&E), Paranormal State (A&E) and most recently Storm Chasers (Discovery).