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Telling the remarkable stories of three survivors of long-term solitary confinement, Cloudland is a short animated documentary exploring how the human imagination can provide both solace and renewed suffering during prolonged isolation. Our film features interviews with three individuals who have spent a total of 5, 9 and 22+ years, respectively, in solitary confinement in U.S penitentiaries. 
 
Why Is This Film Important?

Solitary confinement is the practice of isolating people in closed cells for 22-24 hours a day, virtually free of human contact, for periods of time ranging from days to decades.

Solitary confinement cells generally measure from 6×9 to 8×10 feet. Exercise usually takes place alone in an exercise room or a fenced or walled “dog run.”

The number of people held in solitary confinement in the United States has been notoriously difficult to determine. Currently available estimates suggest that at least 80,000 incarcerated men, women, and children are held in some form of isolated confinement on any given day.

Among Western industrialized nations, the United States is the only country to make extensive use of long-term solitary confinement. In most European countries, the number of people held in segregation beyond a few days or weeks is in the hundreds, rather than the tens of thousands.

The United Kingdom, which has one of the highest incarceration rates in Western Europe with approximately 92,500 people in prison, likely has no more than 50 people in prolonged solitary confinement at any given time.

Outside the United States, widespread use of prolonged solitary confinement takes place primarily in countries with high numbers of political prisoners, including Iran and Israel.

Today, incarcerated men and women can be placed in complete isolation not only for violent acts but for possessing contraband, testing positive for drug use, ignoring orders, or using profanity. Others have ended up in solitary because they have untreated mental illnesses, are children in need of “protection,” are gay or transgender, are Muslim, have unpopular political beliefs, have been identified by others as gang members, or report rape or abuse by prison officials.

Recent studies have shown that people of colour are even more over-represented in solitary than they are in the prison population in general, and receive longer terms in solitary than white people for the same disciplinary infractions.

Solitary confinement is known to cause deep and long-lasting damage to individuals. Prolonged solitary confinement has been deemed - by the UN special rapporteur on torture, Juan E Méndez - as a form of torture.

Solitary confinement is known to cause deep and long-lasting damage to individuals. Prolonged solitary confinement has been deemed - by the UN special rapporteur Juan E Méndez - as a form of torture.

Following extensive interviews with people held in the SHU at Pelican Bay in 1993, Dr. Stuart Grassian found that solitary confinement induces a psychiatric disorder, which he called “SHU Syndrome,” characterized by hypersensitivity to external stimuli, hallucinations, panic attacks, cognitive deficits, obsessive thinking, paranoia, and a litany of other physical and psychological problems.

In 2013, forensic psychiatrist Dr. Raymond Patterson reported that people held in California’s Security Housing Units and Administrative Segregation Units had a 33 times greater chance of suicide than someone in the prison system’s general population.

Our goal with the film is to draw attention to what we feel is the indefensible use of this practice around the world.

Our Team

Nathan Fagan - Director

Nathan Fagan is a multi award-winning Irish filmmaker. His most recent film was nominated for Best Short Film at the 2021 Irish Film and Television Awards (IFTA’s). It subsequently won the prestigious Grand Prix Award at the Cork International Film Festival, automatically placing it on the longlist for the Oscars.

His films and projects have received awards and been screened at top film festivals all over the world. He has recently served on the jury for Ireland’s oldest film festival, the Cork International Film Festival, and was chosen to participate in Screen Ireland’s 2021 Screen Leaders Mentorship Programme.

Natasza Cetner - Animation Director

Natasza Cetner is an award-winning animator and illustrator, based in the UK. She has an MA in Animation from the Royal College of Art in London and a BA from the University of Westminster. She specialises in crafting animations that draw on her own distinctive, hand-drawn aesthetic and style.

Her recent work has been nominated for the McLaren Award at the Edinburgh International Film Festival and received awards and festival screenings all over the world.

Examples of her work can be found here: https://nataszacetner.co.uk/

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