How long is long enough? This is the question that inspired John Lucas’s The Cooler Bandits (2014), a documentary that follows four friends in four stages of incarceration, struggling to confront their future after twenty years in prison. Lending voice to personal experiences of incarceration, the film encourages viewers to grapple with the inequities of our criminal justice system. Join director and artist John Lucas for a special screening of The Cooler Bandits, followed by a discussion with folks featured in the film. Programmed in partnership with Capital City Film Festival and The Robin Theatre. Registration is required.

John Lucas has worked as a documentary photographer for more than 25 years. John has directed and produced several cutting-edge multimedia projects including collaborative work with poet Claudia Rankine. In 2014 he completed his first feature length documentary entitled, The Cooler Bandits, which was awarded best documentary at the 2014 Harlem International Film Festival. His work has been exhibited in museums and galleries both nationally and internationally including the Brooklyn Art Museum, Cleveland Museum of Art, REDCAT (Los Angeles), OK Harris Works of Art (NYC), La Panaderia (Mexico City), Aeroplastics Contemporary (Brussels), and Fieldgate Gallery (London). 

Broad Underground is an ongoing collaboration between the MSU Broad, the Film Studies Program and the Department of English at MSU, and The Robin Theatre in REO Town, Lansing. Special thanks to the Abrams Planetarium and Lansing Public Media Center for their continued support.