What the camera of Omar Broadway captures is not La Dolce Vita. Instead, his gritty images taken with camera smuggled in from the outside depict uncensored views of prison life. Broadway, a convicted carjacker, decided to show the world an authentic slice of prison life.. While some call him a self-promoter, Broadway insists that his films were made to bring about reform in the prison system.
Using a contraband camera, Broadway shot his first documentary at a prison in Newark. The film was showcased at a film festival, and then HBO showed it recently. Needless to say, the New Jersey corrections department was not happy, and Broadway was transferred from his home state to Maryland to serve out the rest of his 12 year sentence.
Apparently the Maryland prison also had problems that Broadway felt needed to be exposed, so somehow Broadway got his hands, and mouth, on another camera. According to the Baltimore Sun, Broadway filmed part of his new prison documentary with a tiny camera that he could put in his mouth.
The films are not made without risk. In 2009 Broadway was charged with having a recording device in prison. Undeterred, Broadway plans to continue to document staff abuse of inmates, rampant gangs, and illegal activities in prison. Such recordings do not necessarily make him a hero among his peers. Focusing on gang activities, and showing inmates making wine can put him at risk, but Broadway plans to continue his film career.
While the Maryland prison staff called Broadway’s film “not substantive,” the film did give a true insider’s view of prison life, and that can be uncomfortable for the corrections department. They can probably expect another expose. Broadway claims he has another recording device stashed somewhere, and that he has bigger and bolder plans.
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