American Jail

American Jail

2018 · 60 min · ★ 5.0 · Documentary

In this deeply personal film, director Roger Ross Williams sets out on a journey to understand the complex forces of racism and greed currently at work in America's prison system.

Directed by Roger Ross Williams · Written by Roger Ross Williams

Your Rating

Make it a double feature

2h 43m together

American Jail

How to Build a Library

Both from Roger Ross Williams.

More from Roger Ross WilliamsSee all →

How to Build a LibraryHow to Build a Library · 2025
How to Build a Library
10.02025
MovieDocumentaryHistory
Two intrepid Nairobi women decide to transform what used to be a whites-only library until 1958 into a vibrant cultural hub. Along the way, they must navigate local politics, raise millions for the rebuild, and confront the lingering ghosts of Kenya’s colonial past.
Traveling While BlackTraveling While Black · 2019
Traveling While Black
8.02019
MovieDocumentary
An immersive virtual reality documentary experience about the risks faced by blacks on the road in mid 2Oth Century America, and the safe spaces as listed in the famous guide, The Green Book, where they could eat and sleep.
The Remix: Hip Hop x FashionThe Remix: Hip Hop x Fashion · 2019
The Remix: Hip Hop x Fashion
8.02019
MovieDocumentary
The Remix: Hip Hop x Fashion highlights the hidden female figures that have curated and shaped hip-hop’s dynamic streetwear and ultimately swayed the entire fashion industry.
Between the World and MeBetween the World and Me · 2020
Between the World and Me
7.92020
MovieDocumentaryDrama
Based on Ta-Nehisi Coates’ #1 New York Times bestseller and originally adapted and staged by the Apollo Theater, this special combines elements of that production - including powerful readings from Coates’ book - with documentary footage from the actors’ home life, archival footage, and animation.
StoryvilleStoryville · 1997
Storyville
7.61997
SeriesDocumentary
Showcasing the best in international documentaries, Storyville has developed an enviable reputation since its inception more than a decade ago. Screening over 340 films, from some 70 different countries, the strand has garnered a staggering array of awards: five Oscars, 15 Griersons, three Peabodys and two International Emmys. In true, unique, Storyville style, the new series promises to deliver the strand's usual eclectic mix of compelling stories from across the globe.
TLC ForeverTLC Forever · 2023
TLC Forever
7.52023
MovieDocumentaryMusic
The revolutionary top-selling American female group of all time, who broke boundaries, influenced an entire generation and survived against all odds, T-Boz and Chilli tell their story for the first time in this feature documentary.
Life, AnimatedLife, Animated · 2016
Life, Animated
7.42016
MovieDocumentary
At three years old, a chatty, energetic little boy named Owen Suskind ceased to speak, disappearing into autism with apparently no way out. Almost four years passed and the only stimuli that engaged Owen were Disney films. Then one day, his father donned a puppet—Iago, the wisecracking parrot from Aladdin—and asked “what’s it like to be you?” And poof! Owen replied, with dialogue from the movie. Life, Animated tells the remarkable story of how Owen found in Disney animation a pathway to language and a framework for making sense of the world.
Civil: Ben CrumpCivil: Ben Crump · 2022
Civil: Ben Crump
7.42022
MovieDocumentary
Crump's mission to raise the value of Black life as the civil lawyer for the families of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Black farmers and banking while Black victims, Crump challenges America to come to terms with what it owes his clients.
The Innocence FilesThe Innocence Files · 2020
The Innocence Files
7.42020
SeriesDocumentary
The personal stories behind eight cases of wrongful conviction that the Innocence Project and organizations within the Innocence Network have worked to highlight and overturn.
DogsDogs · 2018
Dogs
7.42018
SeriesDocumentary
These six intimate stories explore the abiding emotional bonds that form between dogs and their caregivers, no matter the circumstances.
Love to Love You, Donna SummerLove to Love You, Donna Summer · 2023
Love to Love You, Donna Summer
7.12023
MovieDocumentaryMusic
The extraordinary story of disco queen Donna Summer through a rich archive of unpublished film excerpts, home video, photographs, artwork, writings, personal audio and other recordings that span the life of one of the most iconic performers ever to shake a room to its timbers. From her early career with Giorgio Moroder in Germany, to later years more focused on spirituality and family life as a shelter from troubles associated with both notoriety and intimate wounds, her story is all the more special for being told in the first person – both singular and plural.
Makayla's Voice: A Letter to the WorldMakayla's Voice: A Letter to the World · 2024
Makayla's Voice: A Letter to the World
7.02024
MovieDocumentary
A teen with autism unlocks a joyous world of self-expression as she shares her voice for the first time using a letter board.
High on the Hog: How African American Cuisine Transformed AmericaHigh on the Hog: How African American Cuisine Transformed America · 2021
High on the Hog: How African American Cuisine Transformed America
6.92021
SeriesDocumentary
Black food is American food. Chef and writer Stephen Satterfield traces the delicious, moving throughlines from Africa to Texas in this docuseries.
The Super ModelsThe Super Models · 2023
The Super Models
6.82023
SeriesDocumentary
In the '80s, Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford, Linda Evangelista, and Christy Turlington became fashion icons—then transcended their industry by uniting. This is the story of how they claimed their power and shaped the world that followed.
The New Yorker PresentsThe New Yorker Presents · 2016
The New Yorker Presents
6.82016
SeriesDocumentary
A groundbreaking series that brings America's most award-winning magazine, The New Yorker, to the screen with documentaries, short narrative films, comedy, poetry, animation, and cartoons from the hands of acclaimed filmmakers and artists.
CassandroCassandro · 2023
Cassandro
6.72023
MovieDrama
The true story of Saúl Armendáriz, a gay amateur wrestler from El Paso that rises to international stardom after he creates the character Cassandro, the “Liberace of Lucha Libre.” In the process, he upends not just the macho wrestling world but also his own life.

More Like This

Rate this film

Your ratings make Midnight smarter