Da’Cipher 360: Documentary brings historic Abilene nonprofit to light

ABILENE, Texas (KTAB/KRBC) – Nearly twenty years ago, a community group was formed in Abilene, gathering each week at the G.V. Daniels Center to provide support for children with incarcerated parents and those transitioning out of imprisonment. Although the non-profit no longer meets, a new documentary at the Paramount is revisiting the impact and legacy left behind.

In Abilene’s newest documentary, Da’Cipher 360, Director Alisha Taylor goes back to the early 2000s to follow the life of Robert Lilly, the founder of the organization. She said through Lilly’s story, you see the lives he touched and the first-hand impact of incarceration.

“You had people who were like 10 years old to 40 to 65. It was really like this melting pot of generations, races that have all been affected by mass incarceration,” Taylor said. “The first time [Robert] was incarcerated was at 12 years old. So, we follow his journey and the ways that he is tied into the system and how that kind of fosters this want for him to impact the community.”

The two-year project features previous participants of the group and how the single impact of the community can change everything. Taylor said she found her inspiration during this project with the local impact that can sometimes get overlooked when talking about big topics.

“When we talk about mass incarceration, we look at it on a really large scale, but to kind of niche it down to where we are and can see, like right across the street, where those impacts are was really important,” Taylor said. “I wasn’t interested in painting him as like this martyr or someone who’s above reproach, and he’s a very genuine person living a human experience that has come into contact with all of these different systemic things.”

One of the main themes of the film focuses on the pipeline between literacy rates and prisons. Something that postproduction supervisor Melissa Henderson said throughout the production process, she realized those statistics played a role in her own life with her cousins who were incarcerated, changing her perspective.

“I watched my cousins loosen themselves from the importance of education. I could not understand that as a kid. There was something going on there with the literacy rate as they failed classes, as they didn’t have support from their teachers,” Henderson said. “If you don’t know much about mass incarceration or even if you think you know, I think there’s nothing like hearing it first from those who have been incarcerated for many years.”

During the research, the idea of a book drive to support in-state inmates came to life. That’s where Arlene Kasselman, owner of Seven and One Books, came in. She said she connected with the message of the film and wanted to help share the magic of words on a page.

“40% of inmates who are given the opportunity to access resources and books are less likely to return to the prison system. So besides just reading, being for pleasure and for education for our everyday families, I think it’s a real tool in healing communities,” Kasselman said. “Alisha and her team identified some books that they would love to put in the hands of some current inmates who are looking for accessibility and resources and information, and they identified five books. So, we found those five books, put them together in a pack.”

The story comes to life through archived videos, memories carried and impact shared.

The documentary premieres at the Paramount at 7:00 p.m. this Saturday. Doors open at 6:00 p.m. for viewers to learn about nonprofit support available to help in-state prisoners by donating books.