As the movie opens, we see Tina, sitting in her cell at Adelaide Women’s Prison.

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She looks straight into the camera and introduces herself as her prisoner number, before announcing her audition for the Songbirds music program.

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She begins to sing, and her voice is strong and mesmerising, more suited to a dimly-lit jazz bar than a bare prison cell. The audience is instantly hooked – the music has transcended the grey prison tracksuit and barred walls. We are somewhere else. This opening captures the essence of the feature-length documentary Songs Inside, which brings us in contact with the human ache for connection. It captures our longing to be better and how music can bring us out of isolation and towards a deeper understanding of ourselves, even in a place like prison.

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With unprecedented access to all areas of Adelaide Women’s Prison, director Shalom Almond and her team immerse themselves in the prison environment and intimately follow participants in the 6-month songwriting program. Led by Barkindji singer-songwriter Nancy Bates, the Songbirds program is a vehicle of expression, a way for the women to step outside the prison walls and feel the power of music. Nancy begins the first class by sharing her own story of her childhood neglect then singing a song to the little girl who needed her mother. A slow pan of the room shows the teary eyes of the participants, who are welcomed into the power of music. As Clancy, a Songbirds participant says, “Music brings all kinds of emotions – happiness, sadness, forgiveness – all in one. You forget where you are and get in touch with the person who you are on the inside.”

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As part of the program, each woman learns to play the ukulele, and together they write songs about their life and experiences, from funny anecdotes on how they spend their time to powerful calls for freedom. The film’s story follows their preparation for not just any concert but a collaborative performance with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, who orchestrated their songs before performing together at the prison.  

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The film also manages to capture the persistent frustration of being stuck in the criminal legal system. Despite the women’s strongest intentions to move away from negative habits, the hits keep coming, from being denied bail, to drug use, to lack of housing upon release. The documentary skillfully captures how positive programs like Songbirds exist in tandem with the hurdles, challenges and disempowerment of prison. But no more spoilers!

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Songs Inside received the Audience Award at the Adelaide Film Festival and Documentary Australia Award at the Sydney Film Festival. It’s touring around the country. About Time was lucky to watch the film at the screening in Alice Springs as part of the Reintegration Puzzle Conference. The screening ended with a standing ovation, followed by a panel discussion from a number of women in the movie – people were starstruck to see them on stage! As Erin, one of the panelists said, “When I see the movie, I remember how much better I can be. The girls keep me grounded.”