Brothers Jarrett and Baylon Harper Reminisce with Wry Humor and Deep Personal Insight About Their Young Lives Spent in an Abusive Los Angeles Foster Home Through Candid Memories Rooted in Unimaginable Trauma with an Unbreakable Brotherly Bond in this True-Life Film That Won the SXSW 2026 Audience Award
LOS ANGELES, CA—- The award-winning short documentary “I GOT MY BROTHER, ” directed by Victor Gabriel, launched on Juneteenth – June 19 – on the Los Angeles Times’ YouTube channel as part of the L.A. Times Short Docs series. This moving and poetic documentary is set as a conversation-style interview with brothers Jarrett and Baylon Harper reflecting back on their time spent in a Los Angeles foster home where they were routinely abused and neglected. Though the candid memories are rooted in unimaginable trauma, they are woven with elements of magical realism, wry humor and an unbreakable brotherly bond that is put to the test when 17-year-old Jarrett is sentenced to life in prison without parole for taking the life of their abuser.
Throughout the film, Jarrett and Baylon reflect on their candid and often humorous memories of surviving the foster care system and prison, realizing along the way that their path to healing has always been each other.
“As a filmmaker and licensed therapist who has been doing community therapy in Compton, Watts, and South Central, I wanted to invite audiences into Jarrett and Baylon’s healing journey,” states director Gabriel. “At the end of the day, it’s about two brothers doing what we all do: joking, laughing, reminiscing.”
Gabriel adds, “The June 19th premiere date coincides with Juneteenth and the seventh anniversary of Jarrett’s release from prison. With a little hope, maybe this year it will mean a little more than usual.”
I GOT MY BROTHER is produced by Breakwater Studios, the Schultz Family Foundation, and LA Times Studios, and is executive produced by John Legend, Mike Jackson and Ty Stiklorius of Get Lifted Film Co.
“I met Jarrett during a 2015 visit to Lancaster Prison. He had already spent nearly two decades inside, and even in a place built to take away a person’s hope, I saw a man who refused to be defined by the worst thing he had survived,” shares John Legend. “I was proud to help fight for his freedom, and grateful when Governor Jerry Brown commuted his sentence and Governor Newsom sent him home. What moves me most is what Jarrett has done since returning to the community. He carries the pain of a childhood spent in foster homes that should have protected him, and he has turned it into purpose. He has brought attention and compensation to survivors of abuse in the foster system. He mentors foster youth, fights to end life sentences for children, and through Better Days, works to break the foster care to prison pipeline that nearly swallowed his own life. This film is Jarrett and his brother Baylon telling their own story, in their own words. You listen to them, and somewhere in there, you stop seeing strangers and start seeing two kids who belonged to all of us. That is what film can do. It closes the distance. I’m proud to share it through Get Lifted, and I hope you watch.”
“When I saw Victor Gabriel’s short film Hallelujah, I knew he was a filmmaker with a rare gift,” states Ben Proudfoot, executive producer of the short and CEO of Breakwater Studios. “What I loved most was his ability to explore trauma while making you laugh. It was an honor for us at Breakwater to support his first documentary and to work alongside Jarrett Harper in his mission to interrupt the foster care-to-prison pipeline.”
“I’m grateful to the Los Angeles Times for championing this story, to the Schultz Family Foundation for generously supporting Victor’s vision, and to John Legend, Mike Jackson, and Ty Stiklorius for helping bring this beautiful and important film to a wider audience,” adds Proudfoot.
“We believe strongly in the power of storytelling and its ability to drive meaningful change and create opportunities for those who may otherwise not have them,”says Sheri Schultz, co-founder of the Schultz Family Foundation. “No child should endure the loss of parents and at the same time, experience the challenges associated with a broken foster care system. In getting to know Jarrett personally, we knew his story was an important one that had to be told and we’re proud to be shining a light on the difference a second chance can make in one’s life.”
“This film is about the incredible bond between two brothers and their devastating story of survival in the foster care-to-prison pipeline in Los Angeles,” states Los Angeles Times executive editor Terry Tang. “We are honored to be releasing I GOT MY BROTHER as part of our L.A. Times Short Docs series.”
I GOT MY BROTHER is directed by Victor Gabriel and produced by Rachel Earnest. The film is edited by Nadine Mundo, cinematography by Robert Hunter, and original music composed by Katya Richardson. Executive producers include John Legend, Mike Jackson, Ty Stiklorius, Ben Proudfoot, and Josh Rosenberg. The film won the Audience Award for Best Short Documentary at the SXSW 2026 Film Festival.
ABOUT VICTOR GABRIEL
Victor Gabriel is a black male writer/director who has turned to filmmaking as a way for him to look at our shared humanity through the lens of humor. He holds an MA in Clinical Psychology and has been working as an LMFT with survivors of trauma in Compton, Watts, South Central for the past several years. His most recent narrative short film HALLELUJAH, premiered at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival and the feature is now in development with Taika Watiti’s production company. He is also currently writing a screenplay for Searchlight and developing multiple projects.
ABOUT GET LIFTED FILM CO.
Get Lifted Film Co. is led by Emmy and Tony Award–winning producer Mike Jackson, EGOT recipient John Legend, and Emmy Award-winner and CEO of Friends At Work, Ty Stiklorius. They produce culturally resonant work across film, television, theater, and publishing. Recent projects include the 3-time Tony Award-winning musical Cats: The Jellicle Ball, the Emmy Award–winning documentaries 1000% Me: Growing Up Mixed and Stand Up and Shout, the acclaimed documentary Loudmouth, and Netflix’s musical competition series Rhythm + Flow. The company’s credits also include La La Land, Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey, NBC’s Emmy Award–winning Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert, and the Tony Award–winning revival of Jitney. Through Get Lifted Books, the company has expanded into publishing, including the instant New York Times bestselling title The Well-Educated Child by Deborah Kenny.
ABOUT BREAKWATER STUDIOS
BREAKWATER STUDIOS is a two-time Academy Award® winning filmmaking company dedicated to championing short documentaries and the works they inspire. Breakwater Studios’ work has also been recognized by the Cannes Lions, Sundance Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival, Tribeca Film Festival, SXSW, Critics Choice Documentary Awards, Emmy Awards, James Beard Foundation Awards, and the Peabody Awards among many others.
ABOUT THE SCHULTZ FAMILY FOUNDATION
The Schultz Family Foundation’s mission is to create greater opportunity, accessible to all. Our work is deeply rooted in the lives and values of our co-founders, Sheri and Howard Schultz, who believe talent is everywhere, but opportunity is not. We seek to apply the lessons they have learned over the decades to seed innovations and scale solutions to help young people successfully navigate the transition to adulthood and positively impact the trajectory of their lives. We are investors in unleashing potential and unlocking opportunity, working in partnership with employers, entrepreneurs, non-profits, and governments that share our aspiration of enabling everyone to access the full promise of America. Learn more at: www.schultzfamilyfoundation.org.
ABOUT L.A. TIMES SHORT DOCS
L.A. Times Short Docs is an Academy Award-winning series that celebrates documentary filmmaking with a West Coast perspective. Now in its fourth season, Short Docs showcases the work of established and emerging voices who break with convention and present undiscovered stories that challenge, move and inspire audiences.
