This is a story of transformation and transcendence. It is a story of a deep and abiding friendship and the power of art declaring life.
Jamie Diaz is a 65-year-old trans woman and artist who has spent nearly 30 years in a men’s prison in Texas. Using the limited paint supplies available to her and brushes she fashions from her own hair, Jamie creates bold and graphic paintings awash in color and symbolism.
In 2013, Gabriel Joffe came across an elaborately illustrated letter from Jamie while volunteering at an organization that supports LGBTQ+ people who are incarcerated. Gabriel, who is nonbinary and uses they/them pronouns, was moved to personally respond. What unfolded over the next decade would profoundly change both of their lives.
Gabriel visiting Jamie in prison separated by a wall of glass
It began with one letter, 10 years ago.
Our Approach
“Love, Jamie” is how Jamie closes her letters to Gabriel, letters that will play a central role in the film. We also see it as a call for the viewer to experience the love Jamie feels for her community.
Leveraging the filmmaking team’s combined expertise as journalists, writers, and visual artists, we aim to tell Jamie and Gabriel’s beautiful story with respect, dignity, and impact.
We also recognize that protecting Jamie against any negative repercussions as a result of the project is of the utmost importance. The documentary is being shaped by valuable feedback from queer members of the filmmaking team, partner organizations, and film advisors. See the advisors who are helping us do this.
Despite her incarceration, many of Jamie’s self-portraits depict her as a free and proud trans woman. Pain, transformation, and liberation are common themes in her work.
Art and love beyond walls
Hundreds of letters and phone calls later, a deep and profound friendship formed between Jamie and Gabriel. Though physically separated by walls and miles, the pair have sustained each other through pivotal life moments including gender transition. Now, ten years after first connecting, they consider each other chosen family.
The pair have also become close creative collaborators, working towards getting Jamie's art seen by as wide an audience as possible and securing her a place in the pantheon of storied queer artists. Gabriel created a website to feature Jamie's work, and her paintings caught the eye of a New York City gallerist. This led to a celebrated solo exhibition of her work at Daniel Cooney Fine Art in 2022 that was covered in numerous publications including NBC OUT, THEM Magazine, and ARTFORUM.
“Diaz creates worlds of vibrant color and joy where she is goddess, vixen, healer, and comedienne.”
— Alex Jovanich, ARTFORUM
“I believe it is important to shed as much light as possible on inequality as well as show the integrity, courage, beauty, and love of our people.”
— Jamie Diaz