Unlikely Allies

About the Filmmaker

Anthony Pedone’s odyssey is a rich tapestry of unexpected turns, from the tranquil stretches of a Clayton, New Mexico ranch, to the harsh confines of an Arizona maximum-security prison, and eventually, behind the camera as a documentary and narrative director. His narrative embodies the unyielding human spirit and the transformative nature of a creative life.

Anthony’s early days in Clayton, NM, rooted him in the rich textures and traditions of the American Southwest. These roots, combined with his experiences and artistic pursuits, would later imbue his projects with a unique and poignant authenticity and urgency.

Austin, Texas, played host to a significant chapter of Anthony’s life, arriving there in 1990. It was there that he got his first taste of indie film as an extra on Richard Linklater’s Dazed and Confused. At this time, Anthony was pursuing a degree in music composition at Southwest Texas State University and leading three eclectic bands, each representing the sounds of fusion, punk, or ska. Austin’s pulsating music scene became the backdrop against which Anthony honed his diverse artistic talents, laying the groundwork for his multifaceted career.

2001 ushered in a dark phase of addiction, criminal activity and strife for Anthony earning him a five-year prison sentence. However, true to his nature, Anthony turned adversity into opportunity. He took on the role of a GED teacher, educating and graduating almost 100 inmates, At the same time, he set out on furthering his own education through Penn State’s distance learning, and earned a certificate in Writing Social Commentary – a foundation that would later fuel his documentary endeavors.

Upon regaining his freedom in 2006, Anthony’s compass pointed towards Victoria, Texas. There, he immersed himself in community theater and established the Victoria TX Indie Film Fest, holding the reins as its program director for a decade. A generous philanthropist’s gesture, granted Anthony access to over half a million dollars in media equipment, with a catch: the creation of The Young Filmmakers Institute and teach children ages 8-18 to use the equipment to make their own movies. The camp, media grant and the film festival, transformed Victoria into a cultural hub in south Texas and facilitated indie filmmakers with state-of-the-art equipment to birth their visions.

Between 2009 and 2015, Anthony produced over a dozen feature films, predominantly aiding first-time filmmakers. His production of “The Strongest Man” by Kenny Riches in 2015 premiered at Sundance, and saw worldwide distribution through Sundance Global.

2015 was a landmark year, marking Anthony’s debut as a narrative director with “An American in Texas.” The film was globally recognized and received Dutch Golden Stone Award. It was distributed globally by Gravitas. Collaborations with HBO and working alongside Marc Levin expanded into new opportunities, with notable projects such as “One Nation Under Stress”, “It’s Basic”, and the Emmy-nominated “Stockton On My Mind”. His work has premiered at Sundance, Tribeca, Locarno and Slamdance, to name a few.

Anthony most recently produced Jon Cuartas’, “My Heart Can’t Beat Unless You Tell It To”; a limited 3 part doc series for PBS entitled, “A Town Called Victoria”; served as story producer and executive producer on Sav Rogers’, “Chasing, Chasing Amy”; and completed his documentary directorial debut, entitled, “Unlikely Allies” that is repped for sales by Village Roadshow Group.

Today, from his residence in Tularosa, NM, he continues to weave stories, emphasizing inclusivity, community, and collaboration. His work finds its home on prominent streaming platforms like Max, Amazon, Hulu, PBS and Peacock.

Full Synopsis

In 2003, a low-level cannabis case would end Weldon Angelos’ budding and promising career in the music industry. But it would also give birth to a national movement to reform our country’s criminal justice system, uniting far right conservatives like billionaire Charles Koch and Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) with liberals such as Senator Corey Booker, Van Jones and musicians Alicia Keys, and Snoop Dogg.

Weldon Angelos was a “rising star” whose world was turned upside down when he was targeted by a confidential informant and a UTAH drug task force in sting operation that, according to The Nation, “reeked of entrapment.” At the age of 23, Angelos was an upcoming music producer and recording artist who had worked closely with luminaries like Snoop Dogg and Tupac Shakur’s Outlawz. He was preparing to release albums that included stars like 2Pac, Snoop, P!nk, and Nas. He was also selling cannabis on the side to help pay the bills until his music ventures stabilized. That, coupled with his connection to the so-called “gangsta rap” music industry, made him the perfect target for local authorities in his hometown of Salt Lake City, Utah and ultimately put him in the federal government’s crosshairs.

Weldon sold $350 worth of cannabis to a confidential informant on three occasions. Utilizing the ever-expanding federal criminal code, prosecutors turned the three small transactions into 20 distinct federal crimes, including five counts that mandated a total of 105 years of prison time if convicted. This would radically alter the fate of Weldon Angelos. He was arrested, tried, and convicted in federal court on 16 of the 20 counts and was ultimately sentenced to a mandatory 55 years in federal prison without the possibility of early release. The federal judge who was forced to impose the draconian punishment—a conservative George W. Bush appointee named Paul Cassell described the sentence as “cruel, unjust, and even irrational” and courageously spoke out against the sentence. To rescue himself from his own conscience, Judge Cassell resigned from a life-time appointment to the federal bench to advocate for Angelos’s release.

Weldon Angelos became a “national cause celebrity,” the symbol for justice reform for liberals and conservatives alike. In 201􀀙, after an unprecedented, bipartisan campaign to secure his freedom by elected and appointed government officials, celebrities, advocates,
business leaders, and myriad of media outlets, Weldon was finally released from prison after serving 13 years for a first-time, cannabis-related offense just in time to see his oldest son who he had not seen in person for almost 10 years graduate from high school.

Weldon’s story epitomizes the potential for a revolution when unlikely allies join forces to effect change. As noted by the New York Times, the story of Weldon Angelos “spurred intense soul-searching” and sparked a movement that would unite the most interesting figures in politics and entertainment paving a road to a presidential pardon, a life of unwavering activism, the signing of the first meaningful criminal justice reform in a generation and ultimately working with old creative collaborator, Snoop Dogg to secure a presidential pardon and release for the financier of Death Row records, Michael “Harry-O” Harris.