Formerly incarcerated couple turned criminal justice reform advocates Sibil “Fox Rich” Richardson and Rob Richardson are celebrating the free release of their Academy Award-nominated documentary Time.
The longtime couple and parents of six, who endured 21 years as an incarcerated family, announced on Instagram on April 14 that their acclaimed 2020 documentary Time is now available to stream for free. A video trailer offers a powerful glimpse into the film, which chronicles Fox’s relentless fight to free her husband, who was serving a 60-year sentence for armed bank robbery.
“From young love to facing 297 years… Our story has twists you won’t believe, from raising six sons to launching Shreveport’s first hip-hop store,” they captioned their post. “There’s so much more to our journey.”
Directed by Garrett Bradley, Time weaves together original footage and home videos to tell the story of Sibil—a self-described abolitionist, author, and mother of six—as she campaigns for the release of her husband, Rob, from a 60-year sentence at Louisiana State Penitentiary, or Angola, for their involvement in an armed bank robbery. While Sybil served three and a half years for her role, Rob remained incarcerated for 21 years before receiving clemency from then-Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards in 2018.
“On that September day, after dropping Rob and our nephew Ontario off at a bank, I sat on a nearby hillside with binoculars,” Sibil wrote of the 1997 bank robbery that changed their lives forever. “I was breathless, watching as they attempted an armed bank robbery. It resulted in a foot chase, gunshots, and the end of our life as we knew it.”
After her prison release, Sibil began the journey of raising their six children on her own while fighting for Rob’s release.
“It was very hard. I had to be a double parent,” Sibil shared. “When my children needed something, I couldn’t say, “Go ask your father.” I recognized very early on I couldn’t do this by myself. With the help of my mother and our community, I raised our six sons throughout Rob’s entire incarceration.”
Bradley’s compelling documentary on the Richardsons’ love and resilience premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on Jan. 25, 2020, making history as she became the first African American woman to win the U.S. Documentary Directing Award. The Time film earned a nomination for Best Documentary Feature at the 93rd Academy Awards and became one of the rare documentaries to sweep the “Big Four” critics’ prizes.
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