APPLY NOW TO PARTICIPATE IN “MAKING AN EXONEREE @ UCSC 2026” (FILM 174 A and B), an intensive two-quarter practicum.

EXTENDED APPLICATION DEADLINE: MONDAY, November 17th at 11:59 pm

Making an Exoneree is an extraordinary and unprecedented course and program in which undergraduate and law students work together across multiple universities to reinvestigate likely wrongful conviction cases. Students spend an intensive semester as investigative journalists, documentarians, and social justice activists to create a public documentary and social media campaign that makes the case for the innocence of a wrongfully convicted person who is currently languishing in prison. Students travel to reinvestigate the crime and conviction and visit their incarcerated program participant. The short films that the students create portray the main issues, challenges, injustices, and human stories involved in each case. Unforgettable Lies: Framing Jamie Snow, one of the films made by Making an Exoneree @ UCSC students in 2023, won the 2024 Chancellor’s Award.

Making an Exoneree takes on difficult cases that are often overlooked by other innocence projects. These cases are sometimes decades old without DNA evidence or available appeals. Our ultimate goal is to breathe new life into these cases and help bring innocent people home from prison, utilizing every available resource and tailoring their approach to the specific case.  

The class will meet in person on Fridays from 9:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. throughout the winter and spring of 2026. Students selected to participate must commit to enrolling in both quarters and must be available to travel with their teams during spring break to film on location and visit their program participant in prison. Travel expenses will be covered. Student teams will premiere their films at a public event at the end of the spring quarter. (See recording of the 2025 event live-stream.) 

Priority will be given to applicants with a solid academic and practical background in film and digital media making and/or legal studies, a passion for justice, and an understanding of injustice in the criminal legal system. System-impacted students are especially encouraged to apply. This course provides two credits toward the Visualizing Abolition Studies Certificate Program (VAST).

The “Making an Exoneree” course originated in 2018 at Georgetown University with Professor Marc Howard and his childhood friend, Adjunct Professor Marty Tankleff, who was himself wrongfully convicted and incarcerated for almost 18 years before being exonerated. Since 2018, 12 individuals who shared their stories with “Making an Exoneree” have been exonerated or released from prison. In 2022, Film and Digital Media Professor Sharon Daniel initiated a partnership with Professors Howard and Tankleff, enabling UCSC students to participate in this effort.

APPLY HERE By MONDAY, NOVEMBER 17th at 11:59 pm

If you have questions, please contact Professor Daniel at sdaniel (at) ucsc (dot) edu