Experiencing Interruptions?

Ask Her About The Art

As a sociological statement, Carol Strict collects prison art to show and sell at galleries; sending all profits back to the prisoners so they can buy food and art supplies. Ask Her About The Art is a vérité documentary that explores the obstacles prisoners face in order to create, the alternative lifestyle of the Strict family, and the insidious intentions of the prison industrial complex.

  • Karim Dakkon
    Director
    Hanging Bear, Clown Face, Snowman
  • Karim Dakkon
    Writer
    Hanging Bear, Clown Face, Snowman
  • Camilla Tasca
    Producer
  • Karim Dakkon
    Director of Photography
    Some Southern Waters
  • Project Type:
    Documentary
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 6 minutes 19 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    March 31, 2023
  • Production Budget:
    1,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Subculture Film Festival
    West Plam Beach
    United States
    October 20, 2023
    World Premiere
    Best Feature Documentary
Director Biography - Karim Dakkon

I am a Moroccan-born, South Florida-raised cinematographer. I first picked up a camera to film skateboarding videos as a kid, and have not put it down since. With a strong interest in painting and storytelling, I strive to capture our world with an engaging and immersive approach. My concentration is on documentary and narrative filmmaking; although very different genres, there is where I find my best self.

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Director Statement

I have known Carol Strick and her family since I first came to this country at the age of 4. I grew up with her and her grandchildren. Even then, the prisoner’s artwork still lived in her house. Many were on her walls, which I was introduced to first. I did not think much of it, but I knew it was prison art. Eddie(Carol’s son) even taught me chess growing up.

While growing up in South Florida, I became aware of the issues in our society, especially abuse of authority and racism. Obviously, I would love to solve that, but I was always in a position to only rebel through a choice of lifestyle. I naturally gravitated to the arts because I was always attracted to creating. My creativity started off mechanical, combining legos and electric motors, and eventually working with wood. As I got older, I gravitated to the more abstract; music and painting. I naturally found film and realized the stories I wanted to tell were endless.

After film school, I revisited Carol and realized I could use film to help her help these prisoners, and I became committed. I know I can’t solve the issue, because it is too great, but I was always attached to this on a personal level. I just want to humanize these prisoners like Carol and her family have done for me. I want to share this story with the world because these subjects deserve to be understood. My experiences with her have taught me to love humans unconditionally, and film has taught me that truth is not black and white. These prisoners are victims of a moment that has confined their time on this Earth in a cell; a moment that seems to be the only end to an equation determined, often, by the algorithms of their childhood. Many, before prison, at no point in their life, were considered as people. Art separates us from reality, it defines our humanity. Here are prisoners, who even trapped by white walls designed to oppress, can only survive by making art. From my experience, they do not expect the world to be fixed, but they are hopeful when they know that someone can see, contemplate, and understand their art because then there might be a chance that someone sees them as human.