Picking Oakum explores what it means to be a woman and labelled a criminal. Devised collaborative in workshops between six women who have been imprisoned and the director, the film combines interview and drama to create an artistic representation of their thoughts and experiences. Picking Oakum challenges our preconceptions by showing the injustices suffered by women in the hands of the police, courts, prison, special hospitals and public opinion - and asks for urgent changes.
Picking Oakum, the plucking of loose fibres from old rope, was a common form of prison labour in previous centuries. It was messy, monotonous and served little purpose - much like prison for the majority of women who are sent there.
Participated in and devised by:
Kim Andres, Collette Johnson, Ginger Legrand, Mandy Maylin, Denise Murphy, Leonora Rogers-Wright.
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