A CÔTE
by Stéphane Mercurio, Documentary, 92', 2007, 35mm, FRANCE

No cells, no guards even less prisoners. Just women who wait, that make themselves beautiful, that supports each other, which sometimes crack up but never loose hope. They are prisoner, wives, mothers and also sometimes fathers... On the other side of the prison wall, in the small Ti tomm association house of, they wait for there visiting turn. They arrive in advance, always. They know few seconds of delay and the prison door will remain closed. They come one, two, sometimes three times per week, during months even of years. These Penelope of modern times, live by the rhythm of their man, on the dark side.

STEPHANE MERCURIO
Stephan Mercurio was chief editor of the monthly magazine La Rue distributed by homeless people from 1992 to 1996. Then she directs Scènes de ménage avec Clémentine (1992) a short film produced by the Ateliers Varan, and works for Arte and TV5 directing a dozen short films focused on social issues. Among them: Vivre sans toit (1997), Envies de Justice (2000), Hélène aux urgences (2003).