“Herman’s House” presented at the Portland Public Library

POV Summer Documentary Series
Thursday, June 20th from 7:30-9:00pm in the Rines Auditorium
Portland, Maine - The Portland Public Library POV Summer Documentary Film Series presents Herman’s House on Thursday, June 20th from 7:30-9:00pm in the Rines Auditorium.  Lance Tapley, a writer and advocate for prison reform will introduce the film and lead a facilitated discussion with the audience after the film. Tapley has been writing about living conditions and treatment of prisoners incarcerated in Maine for the past seven years in the Portland Phoenix and has won national recognition for his work.

Herman Wallace may be the longest-serving prisoner in solitary confinement in the United States—he's spent
more than 40 years in a 6-by-9-foot cell in Louisiana. Imprisoned in 1967 for a robbery he admits, he was subsequently sentenced to life for a killing he vehemently denies. Herman's House is a moving account of the remarkable expression his struggle found in an unusual project proposed by artist Jackie Sumell. Imagining Wallace's "dream home" began as a game and became an interrogation of justice and punishment in America. The film takes us inside the duo's unlikely 12-year friendship, revealing the transformative power of art.

The Portland Public Library Summer Documentary Film Series is held on Thursdays  throughout the summer starting at 7:30pm in the Rines Auditorium.  This series is made possible by a partnership between the Portland Public Library and POV (Point of View), Public Television’s premier documentary series.  Films are shown before their actual air date on PBS and offered free to the public.  Facilitated group discussions will be offered after select showings.

The award-winning POV series is the longest-running showcase on American television to feature the work of today’s best independent documentary filmmakers. POV has brought more than 300 acclaimed documentaries to millions nationwide and has a Webby Award-winning online series, POV’s Borders. Since 1988, POV has pioneered the art of presentation and outreach using independent nonfiction media to build new communities in conversation about today’s most pressing social issues. For more information visit www.pbs.org/pov.

Below is a schedule of upcoming films.

Thursday, June 27                                Only the Young

Thursday, July 11                                 Special Flight         *Meeting Room #5

Thursday, July 18                                 High Tech, Low Life

Thursday, July 25                                 Homegoings

Thursday, August 1                              The Law in These Parts

Thursday, August 8                              The World Before Her

Thursday, August 15                           5 Broken Cameras

Thursday, August 22                           Neurotypical

Thursday, August 29                           Ping Pong

Thursday, September 5                      56 Up

Thursday, September 12                   American Promise

Thursday, September 19                   Best Kept Secret

Thursday, September 26                   Brooklyn Castle