Featured In

A running record of films, press, and public conversations Mustafa’s work has been part of.

BEYOND — a documentary film #

“That cell is either a cage or a chrysalis.” — Mustafa, in BEYOND

BEYOND is a documentary film about healing, community, and humanity. At one of the country’s most notorious maximum security prisons, a group of incarcerated men prepare for a TED-style event that showcases their personal narratives along with ideas for changing the prison system and healing their communities. With unprecedented access to Sing Sing, the film follows the speakers’ journeys from auditions to their climactic moments on stage. Mustafa is among the men featured — credited on the film’s Beyond the Block Talks roster for his talk “Cultivating Coping Skills.”

Awards & festival run #

Winner — Best Documentary Feature, Oxford Film Festival
Audience Award Runner-Up, DOC NYC 2025 (world premiere)
Cleveland International Film Festival
Milwaukee Film Festival
Columbia University
Christ Church of Rye
NY Division of Criminal Justice Services Re-Entry Task Force, Albany
Dominguez State Jail, San Antonio, TX
Utah State Correctional Facility, Salt Lake City, UT

Where to find it #

Press #

“DOC NYC: 10 Films to See at America’s Largest Documentary Festival” — IndieWire
“First Trailer for ‘Beyond’ Prison Doc Exec Produced by Clarence Maclin” — FirstShowing.net
“Interview: Asia Johnson and Michael Kleiman on ‘Beyond’” — The Moveable Fest

Credits #

Directed by Asia Johnson, Michael Kleiman
Produced by Asia Johnson, Michael Kleiman
Executive Producers Clarence Maclin (Oscar-nominated, Sing Sing); JJ Velazquez (Emmy-winning, The Sing Sing Chronicles)
Co-Producer Sean Pica
Director of Photography Jesse Brown
Editor Sasha Friedlander
Composer John Tyler
Sound Recordist Andrew Litton
Associate Producer Palu Abadia
Production Company MediaTank Productions
Year / Runtime 2025 · 89 min

Cultivating Coping Skills — Mustafa at Beyond the Block 2024 #

Mustafa’s full talk from Hudson Link’s 2024 Beyond the Block event at Sing Sing — the same annual symposium documented in BEYOND.

Watch the full Beyond the Block 2024 playlist

About Beyond the Block #

Beyond the Block is an annual TED-style symposium developed by an incarcerated planning committee at Sing Sing in partnership with Hudson Link for Higher Education in Prison. Speakers share original talks before an audience of policymakers, prison officials, and loved ones — exploring vulnerability, healing, and ideas for changing the system from the inside.