Denali Tiller (Tre Maison Dasan)

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Tiller is an artist and filmmaker named one of 110 “filmmakers to watch” by Variety Magazine in 2015 for her short film, Sons and Daughters of the Incarcerated — which grew into her feature documentary, Tre Maison Dasan. She has worked with the US Agency for International Development, and is currently adjunct faculty at Rhode Island School of Design. Through her work, Denali is interested in empowering artists in systemic thinking, social justice and activism. She is most passionate about children and youth advocacy, and how we raise boys in America.

About The Film

Tre Maison Dasan is an intimate portrait of three boys growing up, each with a parent in prison. Directly told through the child’s perspective, the film is an exploration of relationships and separation, masculinity, and coming of age in America when a parent is behind bars.

Tre, Maison and Dasan are three very different boys. Tre is a tough 13 year old who hides his emotions behind a mask of tough talk and hard edges. Maison is a bright eyed 11 year old with an encyclopedic mind and deep love for those around him. Dasan is a sensitive 6 year old with an incredible capacity for empathy and curiosity. Their parents are not incarcerated for the low-level offenses that have become infamous in conversations around mass-incarceration, but their histories and relationships beg many questions about Justice and the lasting and rippling effects of a system at large.