POV
QUEST
A North Philadelphia family’s 10-year journey is an illumination of race and class in America, a testament to love, healing, and hope.
The Franchise
After serving 32 years in the prison system, Alejo Rodriguez uncovers the intricate connections between industry profits and incarceration in New York.
- Length
- 90 minutes
- Funding Initiative
- Diversity Development Fund
- Open Call
Producer/ Director
Virgilio Bravo
Vee Bravo is an independent documentary filmmaker, impact producer, and educator. Bravo has spearheaded the film education programs at Maysles Documentary Center and Tribeca Film Institute. As a filmmaker, Bravo directed and co-produced Estilo Hip Hop (PBS, 2009) and Primera (Max, 2021). He is a New York native, born in Chile.
- Other ITVS Films
- Estilo Hip Hop
Producer
Sabrina Schmidt Gordon
Sabrina Schmidt Gordon is an award-winning documentary filmmaker & impact strategist who has distinguished herself as a producer, editor, and director. Career honors include the Dear Producer Award for excellence in independent filmmaking, Reel Sisters Trailblazer Award, Women at Sundance Fellowship, and membership to the Academy (AMPAS).
- Other ITVS Films
- QUEST
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The Film
The New York State prison system is a financial ecosystem that encompasses small rural towns and major forces of industry. The Franchise follows Alejo Rodriguez, a 56-year-old of Afro-Puerto Rican and Cuban descent who returns from prison after 32 years. As he contemplates his present and his past life, Alejo begins piecing together connections between the prisons and enterprises in the South Bronx and Orange County.
While incarcerated, Alejo was treated for a digestive ailment at a local hospital in 2015. Unbeknownst to him, Alejo’s urethra was clipped during the procedure, resulting in kidney loss. He later learns that the hospital billed Medicaid approximately $500,000 for the surgery. After his 2017 release, Alejo returns home to a South Bronx struggling with heavy police surveillance and increasing gentrification. In neighborhoods still besieged by poverty, high imprisonment rates, and food deserts, he advocates for the formerly incarcerated and their families. He observes the correlation between the poor health of inmates and the food manufacturing companies that service prisons.
When Alejo begins teaching at Columbia Law School in 2022, he works with students on community engagement strategies for incarcerated populations. With journalistic zeal, he delves into the supply and demand dynamics of incarceration, unearthing a lucrative economic marketplace. Nutrition and health industries in the region are enmeshed with state prisons and international businesses, all dependent on a steadily increasing prison population in the South Bronx.
