The Strike
The 2025 Represent Justice Open Call Impact Campaign recipient, The Strike, is an award-winning documentary that follows men isolated for decades in solitary confinement who must organize thousands of incarcerated people to protest this practice and seek their freedom.
Amidst the redwood trees on the California-Oregon border sits one of the most infamous prisons in US history. Pelican Bay is a labyrinthine construction of solid cement blocks – a supermax prison – opened in 1989 and designed specifically for mass-scale solitary confinement. For decades, it held men alone in tiny cells indefinitely. Then one day in 2013, 30,000 incarcerated individuals went on hunger strike.
Told through the stories of the men who bore the brunt of this practice, The Strike goes beyond making a case against solitary confinement; it illuminates the power of organizing and resistance led by those incarcerated.
ABOUT THE ISSUE
A priority for Represent Justice is to highlight alternatives to incarceration that don’t rely on prisons or jails, but instead treat root causes with individual and community investments. Solitary confinement is one of the cruelest forms of incarceration, with devastating consequences. Ending the practice is essential for protecting the rights and well-being of people who are detained or incarcerated.
The Strike reveals how tens of thousands of incarcerated people went on a hunger strike to demand change. We are honored to collaborate with the film team on screenings and events across the country to share this story widely. Their historic, collective action asks us all to join their movement to end solitary confinement.
The Represent Justice Film & Series program offers in-kind impact campaigns to independent films, like this one, helmed by system-impacted individuals.
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People in the U.S. currently held in solitary confinement.
Watch Options
Over the next few months, The Strike will broadcast on PBS (Independent Lens) -- as well as streamed on the PBS' YouTube channel and the PBS app. Check your local TV listings for broadcast times in your area.
Take Action
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Urge Governor Hochul to defend the HALT Solitary Confinement Act
Tell New York to provide basic human rights in NY state prisons and implement the HALT Solitary Confinement Act.
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Learn About Unlock The Box
Discover how the Unlock the Box campaign is leading the fight to end solitary confinement in the United States. Learn more about their mission, strategies, and how you can get involved.
Screenings
| When | Campaign | Descriptions |
|---|---|---|
| 4/2/2025 - 4/13/2025 | Patois New Orleans Film Festival New Orleans, LA | |
| 4/9/2025 - 4/13/2025 | The Social Justice Film Festival Seattle, WA | |
| 4/15/2025 | San Francisco State University, Project Rebound San Francisco, CA | |
| 4/21/2025 | Chaffey College Rancho Cucamonga, CA | |
| 4/23/2025 | Mt. San Antonio College, Rising Scholars Walnut, CA | Q&A with the film team |
| 4/23/2025 | Loyola Marymount University Los Angeles, CA | |
| 4/24/2025 | El Camino College, FIRST Program Torrence, CA | |
| 4/29/2025 | Santa Rosa Junior College Santa Rosa, CA | Q&A with the film team |
| 4/30/2025 | California State University, Monterey Bay Marina, CA | |
| 5/8/2025 | Lone Star Film Festival, Beyond the Festival: Screening at the Modern Dallas, TX | |
| 5/30/2025 | Mayworks Film Festival Toronto, Canada, | |
| 4/11/2025 | California State University Fullerton, Project Rebound Fullerton, CA | Q&A with the film team |
| 4/9/2025 | University of Oregon School of Law Eugene, OR | Q&A with the film team |
| 4/6/2025 - 4/7/2025 | University of Michigan Law School Ann Arbor, MI | |
| 4/5/2025 | California State University, San Marcos, Project Rebound San Marcos, CA | |
| 3/29/2025 | University of Massachusetts Amherst Labor Center, The Strike Conference Amherst, MA | |
| 3/22/2025 | San Diego Latino Film Festival San Diego, CA | |
| 3/20/2025 | California Western School of Law San Diego, CA | |
| 3/19/2025 | University of California Davis College of Law, The People’s Vanguard Davis, CA | |
| 3/15/2025 | Houston Latino Film Festival Houston, TX | Q&A with the film team |
| 3/13/2025 6:00 PM | Northeastern University School of Law Boston, MA | |
| 3/12/2025 | Boston College of Law Boston, MA | |
| 3/10/2025 | Cinema Politica Network Montreal, Canada | More Info |
| 3/7/2025 6:30 PM | Walls Turned Sideways, Chicago Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights & Restore Justice Chicago, IL | Q&A with the film teamMore Info |
| 3/6/2025 | The Community Milwaukee, WI | Q&A with the film teamMore Info |
| 3/5/2025 | San Francisco Public Defenders San Francisco, CA | |
| 2/28/2025 | Rice Cinema at Rice University Houston, TX | Q&A with the film teamMore Info |
| 2/8/2025 1:00 PM | Durham County Main Public Library & Disability Rights NC Durham, NC | Q&A with the film teamMore Info |
| 1/25/2025 | North Carolina Central University & Disability Rights NC Charlotte, NC | More Info |
| 1/24/2025 | Pillars of the Community San Diego, CA |  |
| 1/23/2025 | Underground Trojans, Prison Education Project & Impact House Los Angeles, CA | Q&A with the film teamMore Info |
| 1/22/2025 | Transitions Clinic Network (TCN) Los Angeles, CA | |
| 1/21/2025 | West Coast Credible Messengers & University of California Irvine Irvine, CA | Q&A with the film teamMore Info |
| 1/19/2025 | Anti Police Terror Project (APTP) Oakland, CA | Q&A with the film teamMore Info |
| 1/15/2025 | ACLU of Nebraska & University of Nebraska at Lincoln Unlock the Box Lincoln, NE | Q&A with the film teamMore Info |
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The Strike in the Press
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Documentary Magazine
As reported by Documentary Magazine, this in-depth interview with filmmakers Lucas Guilkey and JoeBill Muñoz explores The Strike, a documentary chronicling the longest prison hunger strike in California history, revealing the brutal realities of solitary confinement, the resilience of incarcerated individuals, and the broader social movement that emerged in response.
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LA Times
According to LA Times, The Strike is a powerful documentary featured at the Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival, showcasing firsthand accounts of men who endured years—sometimes decades—of solitary confinement at Pelican Bay State Prison and how their ingenuity and resilience led to a historic protest that exposed the deep flaws of the prison system.
