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Lewie Kloster

Moving between Minneapolis and New York City, my brother, Noah Kloster, and I are an animation duo retreating to how animation felt before the digital age claimed king over the medium. Cardboard, construction paper, cotton balls, and magic markers fill our Minneapolis and NYC studios to their brims. Accompanied by these dual perspectives, we are constantly digging for contemporary stories that fit within our frenzied tactile animated worlds.

@Lewie_Kloster @lewiekloster

3 Mins

Video

Hannah Laytner

By Anna Holmes, Noah Kloster, Lewie Kloster & others | August 20, 2020

This is the story of how almond milk led to one girl’s arrest. Hannah Laytner walked into a party with Silk and came out with Rolling Rock—guess which one is easier to spot by campus police?

3 Mins

Video

Jordan Jensen

By Lewie Kloster, Mona Panchal, Lewie Kloster & others | August 20, 2020

When comedian and carpenter Jordan Jensen was pulled over, the cop found a mighty suspicious combo of items: an axe, wigs, red paint, and syringes. So how did she get off so easy? Laughter.

2 Mins

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Lee Trice

By Lewie Kloster, Noah Kloster, Lewie Kloster & others | August 20, 2020

Graffiti artist Lee Trice was arrested when cops mistook him for notorious NYC tagger Dick Chicken. After Lee refused to snitch, officers told him “you’re about to go to hell,” aka central booking.

2 Mins

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Daniel Genis

By Lewie Kloster, Noah Kloster, Lewie Kloster & others | August 20, 2020

During journalist Daniel Genis’ 10-year stint in a maximum security prison, he was sent to solitary four times. His most noteworthy infraction? The unauthorized exchange of five human souls.

3 Mins

Video

Kevin Richards

By Ryan Chanatry, Mona Panchal, Anna Holmes & others | August 20, 2020

When his crush showed up to the party, Kevin Richards was already in handcuffs for trying to save it from aggressive cops. Being the party hero didn’t exactly make him look like Prince Charming.

3 Mins

Video

Shawnda Chapman Brown

By Noah Kloster, Anna Holmes, Mona Panchal & others | August 20, 2020

Her boyfriend beat her up, but she went to jail. This is the story of one woman’s compassion and a broken system that failed to protect Shawnda Chapman Brown.

3 Mins

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Redacted

By Mahalia Cohen, Ryan Chanatry, Noah Kloster & others | August 20, 2020

When a heroin addict describes withdrawal as “the flu times a million,” the last thing he needs is an arrest interrupting his doping routine.

2 Mins

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Evie Litwok

By Lewie Kloster, Noah Kloster, Lewie Kloster & others | August 20, 2020

After two years in prison, Evie Litwok, a Jewish lesbian and daughter to two Holocaust survivors, founded Witness to Mass Incarceration, which advocates for incarcerated women and LGBTQ people.

3 Mins

Video

Jennifer Montano

By Ryan Chanatry, Anna Holmes, Noah Kloster & others | August 20, 2020

One minute she was driving and the next, Jennifer Montano’s life was forever changed. But her terrible mistake has also given her a new purpose in life.

3 Mins

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Coss Marte

By Mahalia Cohen, Lewie Kloster, Noah Kloster & others | August 20, 2020

Coss Marte recounts his old life as an NYC drug dealer and the day he was arrested. After doing seven years, he founded a gym that hires formerly incarcerated individuals to teach fitness.

2 Mins

Video

Max

By Anna Holmes, Noah Kloster, Lewie Kloster & others | August 20, 2020

Max was protesting police brutality when he was tackled to the ground by officers, but he was immortalized in the process. The moment was captured and became a widely used photo of resistance.

3 Mins

Video

Hugh Jones

By Anna Holmes, Mona Panchal, Mahalia Cohen & others | August 20, 2020

How does an innocuous driving offense lead to having three encounters with the cops and your car being completely torn apart? Was it thorough policing or just plain harassment?

3 Mins

Video

El Sawyer

By Mahalia Cohen, Lewie Kloster, Mona Panchal & others | August 20, 2020

When he was 17, El Sawyer shot someone who was trying to rob him and his brother. After being arrested, they were taken into interrogation and what happened there is a testament to brotherly love.

2 Mins

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Amir Ouazzani

By Mona Panchal, Ryan Chanatry, Anna Holmes & others | August 20, 2020

Amir Ouazzani shows how being a gymnast can come in handy when you’re handcuffed, and why his arresting officer called him Houdini.

1 Episodes

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That Time I Went To Jail

By Lewie Kloster, Ryan Chanatry, Mahalia Cohen & others

In this short docu-series, a diverse group of everyday people recount their arrest stories and reveal the shocking range of encounters one can have with law enforcement.

3 Episodes

Video

Monologue

By Lewie Kloster, Noah Kloster, Hannah McNally & others

A series of open, thoughtful and engaging conversations with notable writers, scientists, comedians, politicians, chefs and more in which their unique perspectives are creatively animated.

3 Mins

Video

Sarah Jones: Guided by Voices

By Lewie Kloster, Noah Kloster, Sarah Jones & others | July 30, 2020

Where does Tony Award-winning actress and writer Sarah Jones find her characters? From real-life experiences, sure, but also from her imagination. In this installment of Monologue, Jones gives us insight into her myriad talents, which include, among other things, leaving voicemail messages for the rapper Q-Tip.