The invite seems innocuous: Come cover the annual BBQ for incarcerated men at an Alabama state prison. But what filmmakers Andrew Jarecki (Capturing the Friedmans, The Jinx) and Charlotte Kaufman discover during that public relations event leads them down a serpentine investigative path. The pair unearth decades of horrific abuse; deplorable, inhumane conditions; shocking injustices; and numerous deaths within penitentiary walls where media cameras are not allowed. Through the use of contraband cellphones and interviews with men on the inside and relatives and others on the outside demanding elusive answers, this powerful documentary graphically details a system that is not only corrupt and ineffective but binds these men into a modern form of slavery. Edited seamlessly by Page Marsella, The Alabama Solutionis a damning and disturbing indictment that looks at every facet of a broken institution, while also serving as a shout for accountability and justice. —Randy Myers
Charlotte Kaufman
A producer and director, Charlotte Kaufmanhas collaborated with Andrew Jarecki for the past six years, including season two of The Jinx (2024). Her directing projects have included Tromafist (2014) and the series Kabukiman’s Cocktail Corner (2015). She makes her documentary feature directorial debut with The Alabama Solution.
Andrew Jarecki
A graduate of Princeton University, Andrew Jarecki’s debut feature, Capturing the Friedmans (2003), won the Sundance Documentary Grand Jury Prize and was nominated for a Best Documentary Feature Oscar®. He made his narrative directorial debut with All Good Things (2010), the inspiration for his 12-part HBO documentary series The Jinx (2015–2024), credited for leading to the arrest and murder conviction of Robert Durst, and the winner of a Peabody and two Emmy Awards. He is a board member of The Marshall Project.
CHARLOTTE KAUFMAN: Director
ANDREW JARECKI: Director
ANNABELLE WHITE: Producer