A group of girls in Washington, DC, are ready for prom. Hair is perfectly blown out and braided. Outfits are a blur of lace, sequin and tulle. And, on the other side of a series of locked doors at a capital correctional facility, are their dates: their fathers, many of whom they’ve not seen since the day they went to prison.
This is a scene from Daughters, a gut-punch of a Netflix documentary that follows four girls and their imprisoned fathers as they prepare for a daddy-daughter dance. At the Sundance Film Festival in January, the film won two audience awards, and is widely tipped for an Oscar nomination in 2025. “It’s a refreshing story about Black girls and their resilience,” says Angela Patton, the film’s co-director.
