Jimmy Santiago Baca was a petty thief and a drug dealer when he was sentenced to five years in Arizona State Prison. He began his incarceration violent, angry and illiterate, yet taught himself how to read and write, discovering a passion for poetry that ultimately saved his life. A Place to Stand explores his transformation from functionally illiterate convict to beloved, world-renowned poet. It is an intimate journey into the life and mind of a master of his craft, a man who overcame a childhood of pain and rejection and who embraced language as a balm for his battered spirit.

Director's Statement

Reading Jimmy Santiago Baca's memoir A Place to Stand changed the way I viewed the world - opening my eyes to both the destructive brutality of prison and the almost limitless potential for human growth. In re-telling Jimmy's story through film it is my hope, and the hope of our team, that A Place to Stand will ultimately become a catalyst to inspire similar journeys - for at-risk youth and prisoners especially but also anyone longing for growth and personal transformation.

Category: Documentary.
Themes: Biography, Native American, Jurisprudence, Latino, Poetry.

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