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Ameelio and Represent Justice are collaborating to send postcards of support to Sansón Noe Andrade, the subject of a new documentary, Sansón and Me.
Sansón and Me tells the story of Sansón, an undocumented Mexican immigrant who was sentenced to life in a California prison without parole at the age of 19. More than a decade in the making, and based on hundreds of letters sent between Sansón and filmmaker Rodrigo Reyes, the documentary features dramatic reenactments of his life. Last month, the film was aired as the 25th season premiere of the PBS documentary series, Independent Lens. Reyes met Sansón through his work as a Spanish criminal interpreter in a small town in California and was inspired to tell his story.
“The system is designed to silence people like Sansón — to suppress their stories, trying to make sure that society never hears from them again.”
– Rodrigo Reyes, Director, Sansón and Me
Prior to its PBS premiere, the film was featured at dozens of screenings across the country, debuting at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2022. Reyes, Sansón, and producer Su Kim have partnered with Represent Justice on a national impact campaign for the film. Represent Justice is a nonprofit organization that leverages the power of media to engage audiences in reimagining the justice system, and creating real demand for change. As part of its impact campaign for Sansón and Me, Represent Justice has partnered with Ameelio to allow viewers to send Sansón postcards, using the Ameelio Mail app.
Sansón is currently incarcerated in California, and he is unable to take part in the impact screenings of the film taking place across the country. Receiving audience questions, feedback, and messages of support keeps him connected to the viewers moved by his story.
Already, over 250 postcards have been sent to Sansón, offering words of comfort and messages of hope. Earlier this year, Sansón wrote a letter, expressing his thanks and appreciation for the letters he has received:
“I am getting your postcards, some of which have made me cry! Thank you for showing up, and for your encouraging words! The hope, the love, the positivity, the blessings, and the well wishes are all received. You let me know that I am seen and understood.”
- Sansón
Ameelio has been thrilled to work with Represent Justice once again, having previously worked together to send voter registration paperwork to eligible voters in Georgia’s carceral system in 2020. To celebrate the PBS premiere of Sansón and Me, Ameelio even attended a private screening of the documentary at its annual staff retreat in September.
“I watched Sansón and Me in a private theater in Sedona, Arizona, after spending a gorgeous day outdoors. I watched the story of this boy's life with growing despair: in our rich, progressive country, within the richest, most progressive state of California, a 19-year-old lost his life to an impossible choice between turning gang violence on himself and his family, or going to prison for the rest of his life.
In the movie, the actor hired to play him sat on a darkened stage in front of an empty theater. No one is watching him, no one is visiting him, and as much as I wish otherwise, no one comes on screen to tell us there's a happy ending to this story. Walking out of the theater, I realized it's not for Sansón that I need to reinvigorate my fight for justice. Rather, it's for all the untold stories like his, all the empty theaters we don't see.”
- Anna, Ameelio employee
If you’d like to watch the film, you can stream it at the PBS Independent Lens website. Visit Represent Justice’s website to find more information about the film and to send Sansón a postcard yourself.
Since the Ameelio Mail app was first launched in 2020, nearly 350,000 users have used it to send more than 2.4 million pieces of mail to over half a million incarcerated individuals across the country. In addition to postcards, the app can be used to send photos, letters, games, puzzles, articles, lyrics, recipes, and much more! Best of all, we make it affordable for everyone. You can check it out yourself by downloading it on your Apple or Android devices.
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Represent Justice is a nonprofit organization turning stories into action to change the justice system. Represent Justice partnered with the Sansón and Me team to launch an impact campaign alongside the wide release of the film. Represent Justice programming combines film impact campaigns with an original storytelling program focused on building narrative power for artists, leaders, and activists who are formerly incarcerated. For more information about Represent Justice, visit representjustice.org.
