TROOP 1500


Austin American Statesman
March 11, 2005
Editorial Board

Incarcerated - an d a Girl Scout mom

You might not expect a film about Girl Scouts to debut at the edgy South by Southwest Film Festival that begins today. But then you might not expect that the Girl Scouts have gone to prison - so to speak.

Most of us know Girl Scouts as the peppy youngsters who stand on neighborhood street corners selling cookies to raise money for their programs. We buy their cookies, not only because they are tasty, but also because we support the values and goals of the nation's largest private club for girls. The Girl Scouts are about helping young girls become successful women. Its programs help girls stay in school, build self-esteem and connect with positive role models.

At 4 p.m. Saturday, Central Texans will have an opportunity to see another side of Girl Scouts. The film, "Troop 1500," peeks inside the lives of girls whose mothers are incarcerated at a Texas prison. This extraordinary documentary, created by award-winning filmmakers Ellen Spiro and Karen Bernstein, premiers at the Paramount Theater. It will be shown on other dates (check Austin360.com/sxsw for complete listings) throughout the film festival that ends March 19.

The 65-minute film focuses on the Lone Star Council's Beyond Bars program and the girls in Troop 1500.

Filmmakers volunteered for two years with the troop before shooting any footage. The film includes emotional interviews written and filmed by the girls whose moms are locked up: "Why did you do drugs after already spending time in prison?" a girl asks her mother. Another daughter confronts her mom about how it makes her feel each time she returns to prison, while another copes with having a mother sent to prison for murder.

Troop 1500 serves girls ages 6 to 17 from four Central Texas counties - Hays, Caldwell, Travis and Williamson. Their mothers are housed at the Hilltop Unit in Gatesville. Aside from the usual character-building activities, the troop makes regular visits to the prison so girls can build stronger bonds with their mothers.

At the screening, the filmmakers will give a brief talk before the movie. After the screening, those in attendance will have a chance to speak with the seven girls in the film and two mothers who have been released from prison. The film and discussion touch on a growing problem as more women are imprisoned. Don't miss it.