From Bradley Beesley
co-director of Christmas on Mars and Summercamp!
director of Okie Noodling and Fearless Freaks Featuring the Flaming Lips
“a story of gladiatorial desperation and hope, tied up with one whole lot of Oklahoman heart – Hell yeah!”
- Time Out London
“These are vivid, flawed, even introspective characters. And they’re classic American strivers. With rodeo, but not just that, they hope to go beyond where they have been.”
- New York Times
Sweethearts of the Prison Rodeo goes behind prison walls to follow convict cowgirls on their journey to the 2007 Oklahoma State Penitentiary Rodeo. In 2006, female inmates were allowed to participate for the first time.
In a state with the highest female incarceration rate in the country, these women share common experiences such as broken homes, drug abuse and alienation from their children. From 1940 – 2008, the Oklahoma State Penitentiary held an annual ‘Prison Rodeo’. Part Wild West show and part coliseum-esque spectacle, it was one of the last of its kind – a relic of the American penal system. Prisoners compete on wild-broncs and bucking bulls, risking life-long injuries. For inmates like Danny Liles, a 14-year veteran of the rodeo, the chance to battle livestock offers a brief respite from prison life. Within this strange arena the prisoners become the heroes while the public and guards applaud.
Don’t see a date near you? Suggest a show.
| Date | City | Venue | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 09/11/10 | Sweethearts of the Prison Rodeo in Montreal, Quebec | Blue Sunshine | Canada |
| Time: 7:45pm. Address: 3660 Boulevard Saint Laurent. Venue phone: 1 438 380 5869. Free MECHANICAL BULL-riding afterparty at Chez Serge. | |||
| Tour: NYC Area | |||
| 09/17/10 - 09/23/10 | Sweethearts of the Prison Rodeo in New York, New York | IFC Center | United States |
| Address: 323 Sixth Avenue. Bradley Beesley and Amy Dotson in person at Saturday evening primetimes! Film page | |||
| Tour: “Western Swing” | |||
| 09/17/10 - 09/23/10 | Sweethearts of the Prison Rodeo in Austin, Texas | Alamo Drafthouse at the Ritz | United States |
| Address: 320 East 6th Street. Venue phone: 1 (512) 476-1320. Bradley Beesley in person opening night Friday. Film page | |||
| 09/24/10 - 09/30/10 | Sweethearts of the Prison Rodeo in Los Angeles, California | Downtown Independent | United States |
| Address: 251 S. Main Street. Bradley Beesley in person on September 29 Film page | |||
| 09/27/10 | Sweethearts of the Prison Rodeo in Las Cruces, New Mexico | Southern New Mexico Correctional Facility | United States |
| Bradley Beesley in person at private screening for inmates. Film page | |||
| 09/28/10 | Sweethearts of the Prison Rodeo in Tempe, Arizona | Madcap Theaters | United States |
| Address: 730 South Mill Avenue. Film page | |||
| 09/30/10 | Sweethearts of the Prison Rodeo in San Francisco, California | Red Vic Movie House | United States |
| Address: 1727 Haight Street. Bradley Beesley in person Film page | |||
| 10/04/10 | Sweethearts of the Prison Rodeo in Bellingham, Washington | Pickford Cinema | United States |
| Address: 1416 Cornwall Ave. Bradley Beesley in person Film page | |||
| 10/05/10 - 10/07/10 | Sweethearts of the Prison Rodeo in Seattle, Washington | Northwest Film Forum | United States |
| Address: 1515 12th Ave. Venue phone: 1 (206) 829-7863. Bradley Beesley in Seattle for the “Local Sightings” festival Film page | |||
| 10/07/10 | Sweethearts of the Prison Rodeo in Tulsa, Oklahoma | University of Tulsa | United States |
| James Payne in person. Film page | |||
| 10/08/10 | Sweethearts of the Prison Rodeo in Portland, Oregon | Hollywood Theatre | United States |
| Address: 4122 Northeast Sandy Boulevard. Venue phone: 1 (503) 281-4215. Bradley Beesley in person Film page | |||
| 10/08/10 - 10/14/10 | Sweethearts of the Prison Rodeo in Denver, Colorado | Starz Film Center | United States |
| Address: 900 Auraria Parkway. Bradley Beesley in person on October 11. Film page | |||
| 10/20/10 | Sweethearts of the Prison Rodeo in Alpharetta, Georgia | Studio Movie Grill Atlanta | United States |
| Time: 7:30pm. Admission: $9.50. Address: 2880 Holcomb Bridge Road. Venue phone: 1 770-992-8411. Film page | |||
| Tour: “Western Swing” | |||
| 10/22/10 | Sweethearts of the Prison Rodeo in Austin, Texas | Space 12 | United States |
| Time: 7:30pm. Address: 3121 E. 12th St. Film page | |||
| 10/22/10 - 10/24/10 | Sweethearts of the Prison Rodeo in Dallas, Texas | Texas Theatre | United States |
| Time: 7:30pm. Address: 231 West Jefferson. Bradley Beesley in person! Film page | |||
| 11/03/10 | Sweethearts of the Prison Rodeo in Houston, Texas | Alamo Drafthouse West Oaks Houston | United States |
| Address: West Oaks Mall #429. Film page | |||
| 11/05/10 | Sweethearts of the Prison Rodeo in New Orleans, Louisiana | Ogden Museum of Southern Art | United States |
| Address: 925 Camp Street. An Evening with Bradley Beesley and the Sweethearts of the Prison Rodeo Film page | |||
| 11/06/10 | Sweethearts of the Prison Rodeo in North Charleston, South Carolina | Old North Charleston Picture House | United States |
| Address: 4820 Jenkins Avenue. Film page | |||
| 11/09/10 | Sweethearts of the Prison Rodeo in Gainesville, Florida | Hippodrome Theatre | United States |
| Address: 25 SE Second Place. | |||
| 11/12/10 - 11/14/10 | Sweethearts of the Prison Rodeo in Miami, Florida | Bill Cosford Cinema | United States |
| Film page | |||
| 12/03/10 - 12/05/10 | Sweethearts of the Prison Rodeo in Miami, Florida | Bill Cosford Cinema | United States |
| 12/17/10 - 12/19/10 | Sweethearts of the Prison Rodeo in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma | Oklahoma City Museum of Art | United States |
| Address: 415 Couch Drive. Film page | |||
| 04/03/11 | Sweethearts of the Prison Rodeo in Ardmore, Oklahoma | Goddard Center | United States |
| Address: 401 First Ave SW. Film page | |||
| 06/17/11 | Sweethearts of the Prison Rodeo in Bartlesville, Oklahoma | OK Mozart Festival | United States |
| Time: 1:00pm. Film page | |||
| 01/18/12 | Sweethearts of the Prison Rodeo in Munich, Bavaria | Amerika Haus Munchen | Germany |
| Address: Karolinenplatz 3. Venue phone: +49 089-55 25 37-0. Film page | |||
