A LIGHT IN
CAÑON CITYA FILM BY AARON BEAR
Participants standing together during a Breakthrough activity inside prison
COLORADO, USA AN INDEPENDENT DOCUMENTARY

A FILM BY AARON BEAR

A sentence ends.
A life continues.

Inside prison. Beyond release.
A story of accountability, possibility, and the work of beginning again.

A LIGHT IN CAÑON CITYSCROLL TO DISCOVER ↓IN PRODUCTION
01 / THE FILMCHANGE BEGINS WITH A PERSON.

What happens
when we see
the person?

A Light in Cañon City follows people participating in the groundbreaking Breakthrough program inside Colorado prisons—and a story that continues beyond the prison gates.

Through business education, accountability, and preparation for reentry, the film looks closely at the work of change. It brings participants, Breakthrough staff, and correctional perspectives into the same conversation.

As filming continues, that conversation moves into life after release: the relationships, responsibilities, and everyday work of building a future.

Meet the voices in the film ↗
A facilitator and participants during a group activity inside prison
INSIDE / Learning, listening, and showing up.
A participant listening during a session
UP CLOSE / The person at the center of the story.
02 / INSIDE THE WALLSBREAKTHROUGH

THE WORK STARTS HERE

A different kind
of preparation.

Breakthrough brings business mentors and volunteers into prisons to help participants develop practical skills, prepare for work, and plan for reentry. Its approach connects personal growth with a community willing to invest in someone’s future.

That support continues after release through employment assistance, resource connections, and ongoing personal and professional development. The film stays close to the people within that process—and the lives behind the program.Discover Breakthrough ↗

A participant speaking in a hallway inside the correctional facility
01

Accountability

Facing choices. Taking responsibility.

02

Preparation

Building skills for a life beyond prison.

03

Possibility

Making room for a future still unfolding.

03 / VOICES FROM THE FILMLISTEN CLOSELY.

No single voice.
No simple story.

Four windows into a film in progress.
Watch the teaser and selected excerpts.

The Royal Gorge suspension bridge spanning the Colorado landscape

04 / BEYOND RELEASE

The gate opens.
Then what?

Release is a moment.
Reentry is a life.

The film’s next chapter follows people after release, asking what preparation looks like when it meets everyday life.

Work. Housing. Family. Belonging. These are questions the continuing film will explore through people’s lived experiences, rather than easy answers.

A STORY STILL UNFOLDING
05 / THE FILMMAKERAARON BEAR
A Light in Cañon City landscape key art, showing people painting a beam of light
Filmmaker Aaron Bear at the IDA Documentary Awards

A NOTE ON THE APPROACH

Look closer.
Stay longer.

A documentary by GLAAD Media Award-winning filmmaker Aaron Bear.

This film makes space for complexity: accountability alongside possibility, preparation alongside uncertainty, and lives that continue to change after the camera first arrives.

With further filming inside prisons, interviews with Breakthrough staff, and stories through post-release, the project is continuing to grow.

Meet the filmmaker ↗

HELP THE STORY CONTINUE

Some stories need
time. And people.

Your support helps this independent documentary continue filming inside prisons, in conversation with staff, and alongside people rebuilding their lives after release.

Support the film ↗

An invitation to help bring the next chapter to the screen.