The screening schedule will be shared here soon. The film festival will host continuous, looping showings of the films below on all three days of the conference.

Film Trailers and Descriptions

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Three formerly incarcerated individuals set out on a journey to explore how higher education can unlock new futures. The Inside Scholars examines programs that help incarcerated people invest in education, economic mobility, and long-term success. The film spotlights the educators, advocates, and system-impacted leaders expanding access to college in prison and strengthening reentry pathways. It invites viewers to consider what becomes possible when learning continues beyond the walls of incarceration. Runtime: 60 minutes

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‍Being Free follows three formerly incarcerated individuals as they navigate life after release, pursue meaningful careers, and learn from leaders who have successfully forged new paths. Centering resilience, mentorship, and personal transformation, the film offers a hopeful portrait of what becomes possible when people are supported in building stable, purpose-driven futures. Produced by Roadtrip Nation, the documentary continues the organization’s tradition of powerful storytelling. Runtime: 54 minutes

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Created by formerly incarcerated women, Degrees of Freedom chronicles the effort to restore college programming at Bedford Hills Correctional Facility after it was eliminated in the 1990s. Refusing to accept the loss of educational opportunity, the women organized to build a program and a lasting community of care that would go on to influence prison education efforts nationwide. Told by the women themselves, the film earned the Audience Award for Short Documentary at the Dances With Films Festival. Runtime: 33 minutes

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Knife Skills offers an intimate look inside a Cleveland culinary training program created for men returning home from prison. Under the direction of a demanding chef, students develop discipline, confidence, and the professional standards required to succeed in high-pressure environments. Both challenging and deeply human, the film captures the complexity of rebuilding a life and the transformative potential of opportunity. The documentary was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Short Subject. Runtime: 40 minutes

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‍The Alabama Solution examines one state’s prison system, drawing viewers into the lived realities of overcrowding, violence, and calls for reform. Through firsthand perspectives, the film paints a stark portrait of the conditions shaping incarceration in America today. This documentary asks difficult questions while considering what meaningful change could look like. Premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, this film received an Academy Award nomination. Runtime: 115 minutes

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‍One additional film in this year’s festival remains under wraps, but for good reason. Currently on the festival circuit, this special screening will be revealed onsite at NCHEP. Join us at the conference to discover this and all the amazing films at the first ever NCHEP Film Festival.

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