Nate Roels interviewed 16 students in the Calvin Prison Initiative program, including Shawn England '20, in preparing the documentary "Behind Our Walls."
Note: Since this story was released, 2017 grad Nate Roels has debuted his film inside Handlon Correctional Facility and at Celebration Cinema in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The film has also been shown to 400 employees at the U.S. Department of Education and received the Best Documentary award at the Grand Rapids Film Festival. The film will make its premiere on Calvin University's campus on Thursday, October 26, 2023.
Nate Roels entered Calvin in 2013 ready to pursue a business major. He said he wanted to do something practical. He also wanted to minor in film and media, so in his words: “I could do something I enjoy.”
So Roels started down that path. But there arose a problem. He wasn’t finding much passion in his business classes. And at the same time, his first semester he got a job working for Calvin Video Productions.
“I could have stuck with it [business major], but I enjoy film so much,” said Roels.
Roels didn’t settle for the status quo. He went beyond even his expectations and pursued his passion. He flipped the script. And, in doing so, has unlocked story after story of transformation.
“I decided to make business my minor, and film and media my major,” said Roels. “I could see a path.”
Big Screen Debut
On Saturday, July 29, Roels ’17, will sit in the back of a sold-out Celebration Cinema in Grand Rapids, Michigan for the public debut of his documentary: “Behind Our Walls,” a 45-minute film that tells the stories of eight prisoners inside Handlon Correctional Facility and the educational program [Calvin Prison Initiative] through Calvin University and Calvin Theological Seminary that brought them together. It’s a story of hope, transformation, and provides a glimpse of what prison reform looks like.
“You are looking at prisoners physically behind their walls and they have these walls built up internally due to the trauma they’ve gone through, the things they are currently going through,” said Roels of the film. “But I chose to use the pronoun “ours” in the title, because this story includes us, as viewers too, recognizing our walls are up in our negative perceptions and unforgiveness of prisoners. I hope people who watch this are more empathetic, forgiving of people in their own lives. We have to give people second chances. Christ gave us second chances and we should be willing to have grace with other people as well.”
Building Relationships
For Roels, having years of access to inmates at Handlon Correctional Facility required building trust with the Michigan Department of Corrections and the inmates themselves. And the door cracked open through a class project when he was at Calvin.
“I was taking a documentary film class with [Professor] Sam Smartt, and I got connected to this project back then doing a short documentary about a guy who got out of prison that the warden at the time at Handlon connected me with. That was my documentary project for my Calvin class,” said Roels. “So having already worked with the warden and the Calvin Prison Initiative director Todd Cioffi, that opened more opportunities for filming. A level of trust was built, they’d seen the work that I had done and were impressed with it.”
Discovering a Passion
At Calvin, he also found his passion for “documentary” filmmaking. “Most people that study film start out with an idea of Hollywood movies and having a part in those types of projects,” said Roels. “While at Calvin I did have opportunities to create narrative fiction short films, it was when I took a documentary class with [Professor] Carl Plantinga where we watched and discussed techniques where I discovered that’s a lot more of what I want to do. I like the authenticity of it, the rawness of these stories. They are true, actual stories.”
While Roels discovered his passion for filmmaking at Calvin, he also is grateful he ended up getting a minor in business. He says it’s come in handy in starting his own business, a video production company in Grand Rapids, Michigan, called Second Mile Video.
And he’s grateful for the support he’s received along the way.
Supported as a student, alum
“Even as an alumnus, Sam Smartt’s so intentional with everyone. He wants to see us succeed. I’ve been so impressed by that. If people email him inquiring about a video need of theirs, he’ll forward that request to alumni and connect alumni with opportunities,” said Roels.
He said those connections has helped him build his video production company. “A lot of my work now, a lot of the clients and connections I’ve made happened initially through my time at Calvin, and I wouldn’t be a part of this project if it weren’t for Calvin.”
Roels is also grateful not only for the connections made, but the connections kept.
“Sam was a mentor for me on this project,” said Roels, of his former professor. “He’s a great filmmaker, he knows his stuff, I just really value his opinion. He knows his craft and he wants his students and former students to succeed, and he’s willing to provide honest feedback.”
The Payoff
And now it’s time for Roels to get feedback on his film. And while he is excited to showcase his work on the big screen, he most anticipates showing it to the men whose stories he’s unlocked from the Richard A. Handlon Correctional Facility in Ionia, Michigan.
“It’s not my story, it’s the story of these men, telling the story of transformation, working across difference, overcoming adversity, it’s stories of what they’ve gone through and the resilience they’ve’ shown,” said Roels. “The very first audience I’m thinking of are the men themselves telling their stories, having a platform and knowing their voice is being heard after decades of bottling it in, telling people about the ways they’ve changed, the ways they’ve witnessed transformation and been part of transformation,” said Roels. “I imagine they’ll be honored by it [the film], and that’s really where I’m going to feel the payoff.”
“I think another reason this story needs to be told is a lot of times Christians get painted in a negative light and the ways they are not doing so well serving other people,” said Roels. “So, it’s so important we also show witness to the good things Christians are doing. Part of this work that Calvin is doing makes me most proud to be an alumnus.”
Read more Calvin Prison Initiative stories of formation and transformation.
