Dog Pound

• Director: Kim Chapiron
• Writer: Kim Chapiron, Jeremie Delon
• Cast: Adam Butcher, Shane Kippel, Mateo Morales
• Theatrical Release Date:

Synopsis: Angel, 15 years old (recidivist): assault and auto theft. Davis, 16 years old: possession of narcotics with intent to resell. Butch, 17 years old: assault on a correctional officer. The three are taken to Enola Vale Youth Correctional Center in Montana and placed under the authority and watch of Officer Goodyear, a strict but caring guard. Butch faces the prospect of adult prison and tries to keep a low profile… until he and Davis become the subject of ruthless assaults by another inmate, Banks. Returning from solitary after they refused to rat Banks out, Butch challenges his attacker as the top dog. Like a bunch of strays locked up in the pound, the young men struggle to keep their bodies and spirits intact, but each act of violence swells ever more forcefully. An electrifying cast delivers blistering performances packed with intensity and emotional punch that reveals the deficiencies of a well-intentioned but ultimately failing correctional system. Kim Chapiron (Sheitan, TFF '06), one of France's brightest emerging directors, powerfully evokes the grittiness of Alan Clarke's 1979 juvie crime drama Scum to lend a contemporary glimpse into how more than 60 percent of the 100,000 children locked away in juvenile detention centers across North America become repeat offenders. [Synopsis courtesy of the Tribeca Film Festival]