Troop 1500 is a documentary film

Documentary film

Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...

 about a unique Girl Scouts of the USA

Girl Scouts of the USA

The Girl Scouts of the United States of America is a youth organization for girls in the United States and American girls living abroad. It describes itself as "the world's preeminent organization dedicated solely to girls". It was founded by Juliette Gordon Low in 1912 and was organized after Low...

 troop which unites mothers and daughters monthly behind the bars at the Hilltop Unit

Hilltop Unit

The Hilltop Unit is a Texas Department of Criminal Justice prison for women located in Gatesville, Texas. It is located on Business Texas State Highway 36, north of Downtown Gatesville. Hilltop sites on an approximately plot of land and is co-located with the Crain, Murray, and Woodman units...

, a prison of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice

Texas Department of Criminal Justice

The Texas Department of Criminal Justice is a department of the government of the state of Texas. The TDCJ is responsible for statewide criminal justice for adult offenders, including managing offenders in state prisons, state jails and private correctional facilities, funding and certain...

, in Gatesville, Texas

Gatesville, Texas

Gatesville is a city in and the county seat of Coryell County in Central Texas, United States of America. The population was 15,591 at the 2000 census...

. All of the mothers have been convicted of serious crimes and are serving long sentences.

The troop’s activities are centered on rebuilding the tenuous relationships, and addition to arts and crafts and learning life skills, the mothers and daughters bond by asking and answering tough questions of each other.

For more than five years, filmmaker Ellen Spiro

Ellen Spiro

Ellen Spiro is an American documentary filmmaker. Spiro is known for making humorous social issue films for national and international television broadcasts and theatrical release....

 worked with the leaders and girls of Troop 1500, the “prison troop,” as a volunteer and mentor. She spent the first year with the troop training the girls in cinematography, sound and editing, and then she began making Troop 1500 in which the girls occupy front and center of the film, as subjects as well as crew.

Troop 1500 is an example of Spiro’s innovative style of filmmaking which requires an interpersonal and intimate involvement with her subject over a long period of time.

Awards

• American Women in Radio & Television (AWRT) 32nd annual Gracie Award
• Individual Achievement Award for Outstanding Director
• Outstanding Documentary (long format division)
• Commendation from the Texas State Legislature (Senate Resolution 545)

Articles

Austin, Liz. Film Documents Scout Troop's Efforts to Break Cycle of Crime. Amarillo Globe News. 2006-3-18. Retrieved on 2007-6-24.

Evans, Kate. Troop 1500: Girls with Mums in Prison, Together. Life Matters. 2006-4-20. Retrieved on 2007-6-24.

Geisler, Erin. Troop 1500: Girl Scouts Beyond Bars. The University of Texas at Austin, Office of Public Affairs. 2005-3-14. Retrieved 2007-6-22.

Guiding Kids Through Troop 1500. Official Website of the Girls Scouts of the USA. 2006 newsletter. Retrieved 2007-6-22.

Hill, Alison Michelle. Troop 1500: The Real Deal on a Reality Movie. Studio 2B: The Place for Teens. Retrieved 2007-6-22.

Holt, Cody. Job: Video Reunion. DigitalContentProducer.com. 2006-6-1. Retrieved on 2007-6-24.

Karnasiewicz, Sarah. Tough Cookies. Salon.com. 2006-3-21. Retrieved on 2007-6-18.

Kasten, Susan. Troop 1500. Beloit College Magazine. Summer 2006. Retrieved 2007-6-22.

Neff, Nancy. Beyond Bars: Special Girl Scout Troop Helps Young Women Connect with Their Mothers in Prison. The University of Texas at Austin Online Features. 2006-1-23. Retrieved on 2007-6-22.

S., Brianna. Finding and Filming Your Passions: An Interview with Filmmaker Ellen Spiro, Part I. Studio 2B: The Place for Teens. Retrieved 2007-6-22.

S., Brianna. and Filming Your Passions: An Interview with Filmmaker Ellen Spiro, Part II. Studio 2B: The Place for Teens. Retrieved 2007-6-22.

Scheib, Ronnie. Troop 1500: Girl Scouts Behind Bars. Variety. 2005-3-15. Retrieved on 2007-6-17.

Swan, Marion. Troop 1500 Documentary on Texas Girl Scout Council Premieres at South By Southwest Film Festival. Official Website of the Girls Scouts of the USA. 2005-3-3. Retrieved 2007-6-22.

Swan, Marion. Emmy Award-Winning PBS Series Independent Lens to Host Broadcast Premiere of 'Troop 1500'. Official Website of the Girls Scouts of the USA. 2006-3-9. Retrieved on 2007-6-24.

External links

• Troop 1500 at the Internet Movie Database
  Internet Movie Database
  Internet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...
  
  
• Troop 1500 Official Website
• Troop 1500 at Independent Lens
  Independent Lens
  Airing weekly on PBS through ITVS, the Emmy Award-winning series Independent Lens introduces new drama and documentary films made by independent filmmakers. Past seasons of Independent Lens have been presented by hosts Angela Bassett, Don Cheadle, Susan Sarandon, Edie Falco, Terrence Howard, Maggie...
  
  
• Taylor Zelman, Shawn. American Women in Radio & Television Announces 32nd Annual Gracie Award Winners. American Women in Radio & Television official website. 2007-2-27. Retrieved on 2007-6-25.
• Texas State Legislature, Senate Resolution 545