Sweethearts of the Prison Rodeo Western Swing Tour Dates!

9/17/10 – 9/23/10          New York, NY                     IFC Center

9/17/10 – 9/23/10          Austin, TX                          Alamo Drafthouse

9/27/10                          Las Cruces, NM                 Southern New Mexico Correctional Facility

9/28/10                          Tempe, AZ                         Madcap Theatres

9/30/10                          San Francisco, CA             Red Vic Movie House

10/4/10                          Bellingham, WA                  Pickford Cinema

10/5/10 – 10/7/10          Seattle, WA                        Northwest Film Forum

10/7/10                          Tulsa, OK                           University of Tulsa

10/8/10                          Portand, OR                       Hollywood Theatre

10/8/10 – 10/14/10        Denver, CO                        Starz Film Center

HBO Documentary Films has acquired the documentary “Sweethearts of the Prison Rodeo”

NEW YORK, May 28,2009 — HBO Documentary Films has acquired the documentary “Sweethearts of the Prison Rodeo.” Directed by Bradley Beesley (“Okie Noodling”, “The Fearless Freaks”, “SummerCamp!”), the film goes behind prison walls to follow convict cowgirls on their journey to the 2007 Oklahoma State Penitentiary Rodeo, a purely American event that’s part Wild West show and part Coliseum-esque spectacle where convicts compete against one another for a small amount of cash and a little bit of pride.

SXSW 2009: Bradley Beesley Makes Good on His Promise in SWEETHEARTS

The American notation is purposeful, for Bradley Beesley is one of the few true regionalists working in documentary film. He has continued to return, film after film, to his Oklahoma, digging through that state to find stories that reflect on our times, as viewed through the lens of the southern plains.

Sweethearts of the Prison Rodeo director Bradley Beesley -Cowboys & Indians Magazine feature.

RIDE ‘EM, COWGIRL: Since 1940, the Oklahoma State Penitentiary has hosted a prison rodeo for inmates from correctional facilities throughout the state. But it was not until 2006 that female inmates were allowed to participate in the event.