Stitch & Time documentary hits film festivals

August 26, 2025

Editor’s note: Stitch & Time, a documentary about a crochet group at California Medical Facility in Vacaville, will be shown Aug. 29-31 at the Sacramento International Film Festival.

What do prison, hospice care, and crochet have in common? For a group of incarcerated men in California, everything.

The documentary Stitch & Time unravels the story of unlikely connections built around yarn, patience, and purpose. The finished crochet projects have helped keep hospice patients warm and comforted at the California Medical Facility (CMF) in Vacaville through crocheted beanies and stuffed animals. The documentary follows a big group project: a crocheted mural for the hospice unit.

David Munro directed Stitch and Time with The Unscripted Co., a production company he co-founded with his creative partner and co-director V. Scott Balcerek.

He shared his experience learning about the crochet group and following their journey. The documentary will be shown as part of the Sacramento International Film Festival, which runs from Aug. 29-31.

Q&A with director David Munro

What drew you to this project?

I first heard about the crochet group from my friend Michele Ditomas, who is the chief physician and hospice medical director at CMF and now a producer on the film. She told me about the guys who started it, and I was really moved—not just by their stories, but by her unwavering belief in the changes they’d made in their lives. That led to a visit to meet the group and tour the hospice unit. After that, Scott and I were all in.

What is something you thought you knew that changed after this experience?

Before this, I’d never met someone convicted of murder—or even been inside a real prison. Hearing what some of the men had done to end up there, it’s a big leap to believe that a person can not only atone, but—especially in the case of someone serving life without parole—completely rededicate their life to service and caring for others, knowing it probably won’t change the fact that they’ll die in prison.

The first surprise was learning there’s even a hospice unit inside a prison. I had no idea that existed. And then finding out the primary caregivers are fellow inmates. The patience, attention, and genuine tenderness they show is incredibly moving to witness. We feel privileged to have gotten to know these guys.

What do you hope people will take away after watching this film?

I hope people come away seeing that, despite what these men did, they’re still human beings—and capable of real change. We were very intentional about letting them tell their own stories, without framing it through interviews with authorities or experts. That choice has led many viewers to say they’ve never experienced this kind of intimacy with people in prison. And that kind of closeness has an effect. It helps strip away the stereotypes and shows these aren’t monsters, but people who made a very serious mistake and then chose to go in a new direction.

Are there plans for future showings?

Yes. We have a screening coming up Aug. 31 at the Sacramento International Film Festival, so we are hoping for a big CDCR turnout. We have also been invited to screen at the United Nations Association Film Festival at Stanford.

View the trailer: https://vimeo.com/1092689198

Story by Kyle Buis, information officer
California Correctional Health Care Services