Andrew After Angola
Andrew is in a unique position to speak to this experience, having spent years in Louisiana’s largest prison, known as Angola, for second-degree murder, a crime he committed at age 15. Observational scenes capture important conversations and moments of drama through the perspective of those who have served decades behind bars. The film allows time to consider the tough questions it raises, namely, whether Andrew and the people he works with deserve a second chance.
Will LaCalle is a documentary filmmaker based in Santa Fe, New Mexico. As an undergraduate student, he attended film school at the Savannah College of Art and Design, graduating in 2018. Afterward, he moved to Paris to study photojournalism, attending workshops by photographers from Magnum Photos. Later, as a graduate student in The Documentary Film Program at Wake Forest University, Will began working on his thesis project, “Andrew After Angola,” a short documentary detailing the lives of formerly incarcerated individuals in Louisiana. After gaining his M.F.A., Will continued working on the film, spending another year further refining the story with other collaborators in Santa Fe. Will co-founded Generate LLC, an independent film company focused on documentary storytelling. His interest in filmmaking and photography began during his nomadic childhood. Many of his projects are inspired by places he has traveled or lived. Will is originally from San Antonio, Texas.
This story is personal because my mother and father are both from the same small city, Eunice, in south Louisiana, where Andrew, the leading participant in the film, is from and where he committed his crime. Throughout my life, I’ve visited family and friends in this community and even lived there for some time. Andrew and I, before this project, had no direct connection. We are of slightly different generations; however, we know many of the same people. We would often talk about this during the making of the film. From the beginning, I knew this would be both an advantage and a big challenge. On the one hand, I would be able to more accurately portray the place where Andrew grew up because of my background. I knew the city and the regional culture intimately. On the other hand, it would not be easy to revisit this event in the community’s history. It’s always been very important to us that we be respectful of the people hurt directly by Andrew’s actions as a teenager, especially Terri’s family members, and friends.
It’s always been important that we tell this story in a fair way that doesn’t shy away from this tragedy and encourages new conversation and reflection. I have learned so much through the participants in this film about the potential people have to change. My hope is that audiences will share that experience through seeing the film.