DIRECTED BY NIMCO SHEIKHADEN

Executive Produced by Geeta Gandbhir, Blair Foster & Rudy Valdez

2025 | U.S. | 35 minutes, 9 seconds

EXODUS is an intimate portrait of two women who face unique challenges following decades of incarceration. The film bears witness to their impassioned attempts to rebuild their lives and ultimately restore their humanity.

#6 - Trinity Copeland embraces her friend on the day of her release. Courtesy of EXODUS.jpg
#5 - Trinity Copeland is seen through the glass on her way to shop for her new apartment. Courtesy of EXODUS.jpg
#3 - Trinity Copeland during a charged family discussion. Courtesy of EXODUS.jpg
#2 - Assia Serrano, on FaceTime with her mom getting emotional discussing her mother's ongoing health issues. Courtesy of EXODUS.jpg
#1 - Trinity Copeland just a few moments post her release from prison, calling her brother. Courtesy of EXODUS.jpg
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DIRECTORS STATEMENT

For a long time, I held a deep desire to direct and bring a film like EXODUS to life because I was keenly aware of the inhumanity often wrought by the carceral system on those that find themselves within it. With my fiancé currently incarcerated, I was deeply motivated to tell a complicated story about individuals who are often left behind in this very important conversation. My hope with this film is to probe conversations around what is required to live a life of dignity, safety, and belonging—and interrogate who this is and is not afforded to. My intimate experience with the brokenness of the criminal justice system has fueled my passion for shedding light on the human stories behind the statistics and for challenging the prevailing narratives that often dehumanize and stigmatize those impacted by the system.

The reality is stark: when one person in a family is incarcerated, the sentence extends far beyond prison walls, impacting everyone who loves them. This is an intergenerational issue with far-reaching consequences, and I have personally felt the ripple effects of this fact.

My intention with EXODUS is to spark a rethinking around the issue of incarceration, disrupt narratives regarding the "perfect victim" and further the conversation regarding who is offered redemption, and who is not. For far too long, incarceration has been experienced as an "out of sight, out of mind" issue by the general public, particularly where it concerns black and brown women. My team and I hope to challenge viewers to consider how we may be able to achieve a more compassionate society.

By amplifying the voices and experiences of those directly impacted by the criminal justice system, I aim to confront existing narratives and contribute to a more nuanced and compassionate understanding of incarceration and its effects on individuals, families, and communities.

As the director of EXODUS as well as someone with a close loved one on the inside, I was deeply moved by Trinity and Assia’s profound introspection, their fearless reckoning with their pasts, and their steadfast hope for true freedom. Our film hopes to spotlight the harsh reality that most prison sentences, even post-release, become life sentences—especially for black and brown communities.

- Nimco Sheikhaden, Director

TEAM

  • Director, Producer

    Nimco Sheikhaden is a Bronx-based filmmaker. Most recently, she directed EXODUS, a documentary exploring the challenges of the re-entry process, executive produced by Geeta Gandbhir, Blair Foster, and Rudy Valdez and world premiering at SXSW 2025. 

    She produced a six-part documentary series as a followup to the landmark series Eyes on the Prize for HBO which spotlights the ongoing struggle for civil rights in America, set to air early 2025. She produced an additional HBO series entitled Black and Missing executive produced by Soledad O’Brien that won a Cinema Eye Honors Award for Outstanding Achievement in Nonfiction Series, the NAACP Image Award, as well as the Television Academy Honors Award, and an Independent Spirit Award for Best Documentary Series. 

    Nimco directed and produced the Lincoln Center-commissioned short film, profiling award-winning poet and artist Carl Hancock Rux for an experiential, site-specific event celebrating the Juneteenth emancipation holiday. Nimco has been working in documentary film extensively on projects that she hopes will help spark critical conversations. Her work spans major platforms such as HBO, Netflix, Hulu, A&E, and Peacock. Throughout her career, she has collaborated with acclaimed filmmakers ranging from Sam Pollard, Geeta Gandbhir, Nadia Hallgren, Blair Foster and Alex Gibney. Currently, Nimco is directing a short film entitled Mama Fela, executive produced by Shaka King and commissioned by The David Prize. The film focuses on an unlikely hero in Brooklyn's Bed-Stuy neighborhood, who has fiercely worked to educate four generations of Black youth.

  • Executive Producer


    Geeta Gandbhir is an award-winning Director, Producer and Editor. She started her career in narrative film under Spike Lee and Sam Pollard. After working for eleven years in the edit room in scripted film with the likes of Merchant Ivory, the Coen Brothers, Robert Altman and others, she then branched off into documentary film. As a Director, she recently directed the series “Eyes on the Prize” for HBO. As well as “Lowndes County and the Road to Black Power” with Sam Pollard and Multitude Films which premiered at the 2022 Tribeca Film Festival and was nominated for a 2022 Critics Choice Award. 

    Geeta directed a 4-part series for HBO titled “Black and Missing,” which won a NAACP Award for Best Directing, a Independent Spirit Award for Best Documentary Series, and a Cinema Eye Award. She also directed a film called “Apart” with Rudy Valdez for HBOMax which won a 2022 Emmy Award. Her 2020 short film with Topic Studios “Call Center Blues” was shortlisted for a 2021 Academy Award. Other projects include directing the six-part series “Why We Hate” for Jigsaw Productions and Amblin Entertainment for Discovery. As an Editor, her films won two Emmy Awards, 4 Peabody Awards and one Academy Award.

  • Executive Producer 

    Rudy Valdez is an Emmy Award-winning Michigan-raised, New York City-based filmmaker committed to creating social, cultural, and political stories through a cinematic and meaningful lens. The Sentence (HBO), shot and directed by Valdez over the course of a decade, tells the very personal story of his sister’s plight in the criminal justice system while tackling subjects like mandatory minimums and sentencing reform. The Sentence won Valdez the 2019 Primetime Emmy Award for Exceptional Merit in Documentary Filmmaking and the US Documentary Audience Award at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival. Valdez’s most recent project, ReOpening Night, is a feature film about The Public Theater’s staging of a beloved New York City institution, Shakespeare in the Park.                                      

    Before The Sentence, Valdez has worked as a Cinematographer on a multitude of projects including The Last Patrol (HBO), directed by Academy Award-nominated director Sebastian Junger; Whoopi Goldberg presents Moms Mabley: I Got Something To Tell You (HBO) produced and directed by Whoopi Goldberg, premiering at the 2013 Tribeca Film Festival; Remembering the Artist, Robert De Niro, Sr., (HBO), premiering at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival; premiering at the 2015 Tribeca Film Festival; Buried Above Ground, directed by Ben Selkow, premiering at the Woodstock Film Festival; as well as, The Talk (PBS), directed by Academy Award-nominated Director Sam Pollard.

  • Executive Producer


    Blair Foster is a filmmaker who has won two Emmys for her work on the Academy Award winning film, Taxi to the Dark Side, as well as an Emmy for Martin Scorsese’s George Harrison: Living in the Material World. She recently produced Silver Dollar Road, directed by Raoul Peck, premiering fall 2023. Prior to that she directed and produced Take Your Pills: Xanax for Netflix and The Clinton Affair, a six-part series for A&E. In 2017 she directed and produced, along with Alex Gibney, Rolling Stone: Stories from the Edge for HBO. She also produced the Netflix documentary Get Me Roger Stone which premiered at the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival. Foster produced the Emmy nominated Sinatra: All or Nothing at All and the Peabody Award winning Mr. Dynamite: The Rise of James Brown, both directed by Alex Gibney. She is the Executive Producer of The History of the Eagles as well as We Steal Secrets: The Story of Wikileaks. In 2012 Foster produced Park Avenue: Money, Power and the American Dream, part of the Peabody Award winning International Why Poverty series. She is the co-creator and director of The Conversation, eight short films about race published by the New York Times Op-Doc series. The inaugural short, “A Conversation with My Black Son” won the AFI audience award in 2015.

  • Producer 

    Sara Chishti is a New York-based filmmaker dedicated to telling underrepresented stories. A Film and Media Studies graduate of Johns Hopkins University, she recently wrapped on the HBO series Eyes on the Prize, a continuation of the landmark documentary, executive produced by Dawn Porter and directed by Geeta Gandbhir.

    Currently, Chishti is directing TAXI DRIVER, a documentary spotlighting the predatory taxi medallion crisis plaguing New York City’s cabbies, executive produced by Joseph Patel. Outside of directing, Sara is additionally producing two notable projects: EXODUS, a documentary directed by Nimco Sheikhaden which explores the challenges of re-entry, executive produced by Geeta Gandbhir, Blair Foster, and Rudy Valdez. The film is set to premiere at SXSW in March 2025; and Mama Fela, a short film also directed by Sheikhaden, which tells the story of a Bed-Stuy-based educator, executive produced by Shaka King. She has also produced a Firelight documentary on the history of Lincoln Center, executive produced by Stanley Nelson.

    https://www.instagram.com/sara.chishti

CREDITS

DIRECTOR NIMCO SHEIKHADEN

PRODUCERS NIMCO SHEIKHADEN, SARA CHISHTI

EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS GEETA GANDBHIR, BLAIR FOSTER, RUDY VALDEZ

CONSULTING PRODUCERS SARA BENNETT, LELONI SMITH

EDITORS SANDRINE ISAMBERT, SKYLER KNUTZEN

CINEMATOGRAPHERS SKYLER KNUTZEN, NANCY SERNA

ADDITIONAL EDITORS ALEX KEIPPER, MICHAEL MCNAIR

COMPOSER SVEN FAULCONER

RESEARCHERS FAIZA OMAR, IMANI JOHNSON, CHARU RAMAN, ANDY CHEN