LOVE, JAMIE
Film Poster for "LOVE, JAMIE". Film laurels with an illustration of a person holding a bird and rainbow.
LOVE, JAMIE
Film Poster for "LOVE, JAMIE". Film laurels with an illustration of a person holding a bird and rainbow.
The story of Jamie Diaz, a transgender artist incarcerated in Texas and the enduring friendship that brought her art of liberation and pride to the world beyond the prison walls

LOVE, JAMIE

Regular price $129.00
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GRAND JURY PRIZE FOR OUTSTANDING DOCUMENTARY SHORT, WORLD PREMIERE - Outfest Los Angeles | OFFICIAL SELECTION - DOC NYC, Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival, International Festival of Films on Art | “one of the most important and touching films“ — Jonathan P. Higgins Ed.D., INTO | “Karla Murthy’s film feels like a miracle.” Joey Moser, Awards Daily

Transgender  Friendships & Chosen Families •  Self Taught Artists •  LGBTQ  Incarcerated People • Liberation • LGBTQ+ Pride • Painting • Comics

Date of Completion: 2023 | Run Time: 20 minutes​​ | Language: English | Captions: Yes | Includes: Transcript | Director/Editor: Karla Murthy | Producer/Director of Photography: Andrew Fredericks | Executive Producer: Zackary Drucker | Original Music: Andrew Yee 

Jamie Diaz is a 65 year-old Mexican-American trans woman and self-taught artist who is currently incarcerated in a Texas prison for men. In 2013 Gabriel Joffe was volunteering for an organization advocating for LGBTQ+ people who are incarcerated, when they happened upon a letter written by Jamie. Gabriel was enraptured by the elaborate, colorful illustrations that adorned the letter, and felt compelled to write back. Hundreds of letters and phone calls later, a deep and profound friendship formed between Jamie and Gabriel. Though physically separated by walls and miles, the pair have sustained each other through pivotal life moments including gender transition. During the years of her incarceration, Jamie became an ever more prolific artist, spending her days in her cell creating works of art with the limited supplies available to her. With brushes fashioned out of human hair, she is on a mission to produce the largest collection of queer-themed art in the world. She began sending her growing body of paintings and comics to Gabriel, who archived and cataloged them on a website where they caught the eye of Daniel Cooney, owner of a New York gallery well known for bringing largely unknown artists into the public eye. In October of 2022, his Chelsea gallery was overflowing with art lovers who marveled at Jamie’s paintings and their declarations of dignity, pride, and liberation. Although Jamie couldn’t be there in person, she addressed the crowd through a recorded message and attendees were able to send messages to her. LOVE, JAMIE touches on themes of pride, profound friendship, and the transcendent power of art.

Joey Moser | Awards Daily
“Karla Murthy’s film feels like a miracle.”

Jason Flatt | But Why Tho Podcast
“utterly heartbreaking and inspiring in equal measure.”

Jonathan P. Higgins Ed.D | INTO
“one of the most important and touching films."