Biography

Academy Award nominated documentary filmmaker, and committed social activist, Edgar Alexander Barens has had a notable record of successful production in very stressful prison environments. Over the years he has established supportive relationships with both prison authorities and prisoners themselves, among the most important elements for ensuring successful film projects.

His films have been widely screened at film festivals and have garnered numerous awards, both nationally and internationally. Additionally, Barens has personally presented his work at hundreds of prisons throughout the United States and participated in significant criminal justice symposia and conferences globally.

His previous documentary A Sentence of Their Own garnered the prestigious CINE Golden Eagle and the National Council on Crime and Delinquency PASS (Prevention for a Safer Society) award - the only national award recognizing filmmakers who focus on the institutions that focus on the American legal system in a thoughtful and understanding way.

In 2014, his film, Prison Terminal: The Last Days of Private Jack Hall was nominated for an Oscar as well as for Best Short Subject Documentary by the International Documentary Association and broadcast on HBO. The nominated film provides a fascinating and often poignant account of how the hospice experience can profoundly touch even the forsaken lives of the incarcerated.

Barens received his Bachelor's Degree and Master of Fine Arts in Cinema and Photography from Southern Illinois University and currently resides in the Chicago area with his husband.
- IMDb mini biography by: Edgar Barens