SOMEBODY TO LEAN ON is a short film about a prison choir in rural Ohio and how the program works to break down inside-outside divides.
SOMEBODY TO LEAN ON is a short film about a prison choir in rural Ohio, and the power of music to build community. Started by a local choir director who runs the ‘Harmony Project,’ a community choir whose only requirement to commit to hours of volunteer service each year, the pilot program into the Pickaway men’s prison is a step toward breaking down walls between those on the inside and out, and between those inside among themselves and within themselves. Always with a very long waitlist, the Harmony Project choir is about connecting people who would elsewhere not interact – crossing racial, political, religious, and social lines that otherwise divide us. SOMEBODY TO LEAN ON captures how the group worked together to sing “Lean On Me” in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Bill Withers song, as a message of unity and strength of community as we all move forward through challenges we face, including the pandemic, the opioid crisis, race tensions, poverty, and the incarceration system as a growth industry. This is an inspiring story of individuals building community through music, and how that impact is rippling out to create profound positive prison reform. Presenting only the voices of those in the prison choir project, SOMEBODY TO LEAN ON explores how we might face daunting challenges, but by coming together through the power of music, we can get to know each other as humans, and in the process, effect empowering change as a community together.
Gabrielle C. Burton is a filmmaker who helms the production company FIVE SISTERS PRODUCTIONS with her five real-life sisters. With a passion for strong human-focused storytelling and social engagement, she won Ohio Arts Council’s Individual Excellence Award both in writing and in filmmaking. Burton directed the award-winning doc KINGS, QUEENS, & IN-BETWEENS on gender and drag which, after a national theatrical release, is used as an education tool in universities, medical conferences, and community organizations. Current projects include: HALF THE HISTORY series , SOMEBODY TO LEAN ON (on an Ohio men's prison choir), A FUTURE WISH (gotv film), and THE SKY’S THE LIMIT (on the 13 women astronaut trainees in 1961-2). Burton’s films incorporate social engagement campaigns with discussions, action, and community dialogues (e.g. the CAST commercial campaign against human trafficking with Emmy nominee Julia Ormond). Burton's creative style weaves complex stories and voices together to explore human nature and social change. FSP produces features, docs, and shorts, focusing on incorporating creative participation and underrepresented voices. Films include MANNA FROM HEAVEN (MGM/Sony), TEMPS (Netflix), JUST FRIENDS (Starz), THE HAPPIEST DAY OF HIS LIFE (MTV/LOGO), Julia Sweeney's LETTING GO OF GOD (Showtime). She also produced and directed on OLD GUY (IGTV), a comedic short form series about the stereotypes of aging in the media which was up for an Emmy nomination. Burton is a published poet and working actor (Foxcatcher, Outsiders) and won a Wexner Center for the Arts artist's residency for her next project inspired by her TEDxTalk about gender and parenting (selected by TEDx for their national playlist: http://youtu.be/YOkyc91eY90). Her TEDxTalk on complexity and our “spheres of personal perspective” was given as part of TEDx Tours (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNUPLd6OVZw). More at www.fivesisters.com.
Artists Projects Prize for Film - Greater Columbus Arts Council - 2024
Ohio Arts Council Artist of Excellence - 2024
GCAC Artist Navigator honor - 2024-25
OAC Grant (finishing fund) - 2024
David Brown - director of Harmony Project
Ursula Burton - film producer
Jennifer Burton - film producer
Maria Burton - film producer
Charity Burton - film producer
