EXCLUSIVE: EGOT-winner John Legend and L.A. Times Short Docs are partnering to release the documentary I Got My Brother today, on Juneteenth, a film about the bond between siblings Jarrett and Baylon Harper.
The SXSW-winning short directed by Victor Gabriel is now streaming on the L.A. Times’ YouTube channel as well as at latimes.com. The film is produced by Breakwater Studios, the Schultz Family Foundation, and LA Times Studios, and is executive produced by Legend, Mike Jackson and Ty Stiklorius of Get Lifted Film Co.
“This moving and poetic documentary is set as a conversation-style interview with brothers Jarrett and Baylon Harper reflecting back on their time spent in a Los Angeles foster home where they were routinely abused and neglected,” notes a release. “Though the candid memories are rooted in unimaginable trauma, they are woven with elements of magical realism, wry humor and an unbreakable brotherly bond that is put to the test when 17-year-old Jarrett is sentenced to life in prison without parole for taking the life of their abuser.”
The release continues, “Throughout the film, Jarrett and Baylon reflect on their candid and often humorous memories of surviving the foster care system and prison, realizing along the way that their path to healing has always been each other.”
In a statement, Gabriel said, “As a filmmaker and licensed therapist who has been doing community therapy in Compton, Watts, and South Central, I wanted to invite audiences into Jarrett and Baylon’s healing journey. At the end of the day, it’s about two brothers doing what we all do: joking, laughing, reminiscing.”
The director added, “The June 19th premiere date coincides with Juneteenth and the seventh anniversary of Jarrett’s release from prison. With a little hope, maybe this year it will mean a little more than usual.”
Legend shares that he met Jarrett Harper during a 2015 visit to Lancaster Prison in California. “He had already spent nearly two decades inside, and even in a place built to take away a person’s hope, I saw a man who refused to be defined by the worst thing he had survived,” he said. “I was proud to help fight for his freedom, and grateful when Governor Jerry Brown commuted his sentence and Governor Newsom sent him home. What moves me most is what Jarrett has done since returning to the community. He carries the pain of a childhood spent in foster homes that should have protected him, and he has turned it into purpose. He has brought attention and compensation to survivors of abuse in the foster system. He mentors foster youth, fights to end life sentences for children, and through Better Days, works to break the foster care to prison pipeline that nearly swallowed his own life.”
Legend added, “This film is Jarrett and his brother Baylon telling their own story, in their own words. You listen to them, and somewhere in there, you stop seeing strangers and start seeing two kids who belonged to all of us. That is what film can do. It closes the distance. I’m proud to share it through Get Lifted, and I hope you watch.”
I Got My Brother is directed by Victor Gabriel and produced by Rachel Earnest. The film is edited by Nadine Mundo, with cinematography by Robert Hunter, and original music composed by Katya Richardson. Along with Legend, Jackson, and Stiklorius, the film is executive produced by Ben Proudfoot and Josh Rosenberg.
“When I saw Victor Gabriel’s short film Hallelujah, I knew he was a filmmaker with a rare gift,” commented Proudfoot, CEO of Breakwater Studios and a two-time Oscar-winning director. “What I loved most was his ability to explore trauma while making you laugh. It was an honor for us at Breakwater to support his first documentary and to work alongside Jarrett Harper in his mission to interrupt the foster care-to-prison pipeline.”
Proudfoot continues, “I’m grateful to the Los Angeles Times for championing this story, to the Schultz Family Foundation for generously supporting Victor’s vision, and to John Legend, Mike Jackson, and Ty Stiklorius for helping bring this beautiful and important film to a wider audience.”
L.A. Times Short Docs is an Academy Award-winning series “that celebrates filmmaking with a West Coast perspective,” the Times notes. “We seek bold voices who break with convention and present undiscovered stories that challenge, move and inspire audiences.”
Los Angeles Times Executive Editor Terry Tang said, “This film is about the incredible bond between two brothers and their devastating story of survival in the foster care-to-prison pipeline in Los Angeles. We are honored to be releasing I Got My Brother as part of our L.A. Times Short Docs series.”
“We believe strongly in the power of storytelling and its ability to drive meaningful change and create opportunities for those who may otherwise not have them,” said Sheri Schultz, co-founder of the Schultz Family Foundation. “No child should endure the loss of parents and at the same time, experience the challenges associated with a broken foster care system. In getting to know Jarrett personally, we knew his story was an important one that had to be told and we’re proud to be shining a light on the difference a second chance can make in one’s life.”
Get our Breaking News Alerts and Keep your inbox happy.
Comments On Deadline Hollywood are monitored. So don't go off topic, don't impersonate anyone, and don't get your facts wrong.
Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() );