LICKING, Mo. – In one of Missouri’s highest-security prisons, there’s a group that is having a light shone on them—not for what they’ve done in the past, but for an unexpected shared purpose between them.
“The Quilters” is the newest documentary to come to Netflix. The 33-minute program brings viewers into the lives of several inmates in the South Central Correctional Center, south of Rolla. It focuses on “their struggles, triumphs, and sense of pride in creating something beautiful in this windowless, sacred space deep within the prison walls.”
Their creations are personalized quilts, designed and curated for foster children in surrounding countries, according to the documentary trailer.
Throughout the process, it signifies a deeper meaning for the small group of volunteers that sit in a room surrounded by fabric scraps.
“We’re just trying to do better. We all ain’t perfect, but we’re trying,” one inmate said in the trailer. “This is what puts me on the outside. When I do this, I don’t even be in (prison).”
The film originally appeared at the San Quentin Film Festival in California last year. It will be available on Netflix May 16.