| Melissa Etheridge in Melissa Etheridge: I'm Not Broken Melissa Etheridge: I'm Not Broken tells an inspiring story about addiction and redemption as the titular rockstar and activist composes, “Burning Woman,” a new song based on her relationship with five women incarcerated in Kansas, and then performs a special concert inside their Topeka prison. We connected with the docuseries’ directors, Brian Morrow and Amy Scott, to learn more. Q: Tell us about the origin of the docuseries. A: Our executive producers Kathy Rivkin-Daum and Deb Klein, Melissa's manager, approached us about this idea that Melissa had for a while about doing a concert at a prison. She wanted to bring music and hope to incarcerated women, and her home state of Kansas held special meaning for her. Q: Can you share a little bit about how the documentary explores the relationship between music and the healing process? A: First is the concert itself, in witnessing incarcerated women react to the music, you can see it on their faces. One of the women at the end of the film tells a camera operator, "That was my first concert ever. You did a badass job, Melissa." And while the joy and exuberance you witness in the crowd is powerful, Melissa brings up heavy themes and topics during the show that you also feel deeply resonate with the audience. You can literally see women go from supporting each other and crying at the beginning of a song to singing along by the end. Secondly, Melissa explains that she writes music to deal with her own loss and grief. Her song "Shadow of a Black Crow" was written about her son who she tragically lost to opioids. The cathartic and transcendent power of music is presented in these ways and more. Q: Given the very sensitive nature of the topic of addiction, how did that impact your approach to interviews? A: Our approach with talking about addiction is to remove any notion of shame from the conversation - right down to the tone. Melissa mentions it in the film, but these stories could just as easily come from your sister, your mother, your child. The opioid epidemic serves as proof that addiction is a malignant force that touches every facet of American life. Q: What do you hope audiences will take away from the experience of this doc? A: We just hope that people remember and consider incarcerated people. We lock more people up in this country than anywhere else on Earth, and women's incarceration rates are skyrocketing. They're human and, while they have made some mistakes, it does not define them as people. They're not broken. Tears and tunes will flow when Melissa Etheridge: I’m Not Broken premieres July 9. | 
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