Troop 1500 is a documentary film which won two Gracie Awards from the American Women in Radio & Television (AWRT) in the Individual Achievement Award for Outstanding Director and Outstanding Documentary.

The nationally broadcast film (PBS) follows a unique Girl Scouts of the USA troop which unites mothers and daughters monthly behind the bars at the Hilltop Unit, a prison of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, in Gatesville, Texas.

All of the mothers have been convicted of serious crimes and are serving long sentences.

The troop's activities are centered on rebuilding the tenuous relationships, and addition to arts and crafts and learning life skills, the mothers and daughters bond by asking and answering tough questions of each other.

She spent the first year with the troop training the girls in cinematography, sound and editing, and then she began making Troop 1500 in which the girls occupy front and center of the film, as subjects as well as crew.

Film Documents Scout Troop's Efforts to Break Cycle of Crime.

The University of Texas at Austin, Office of Public Affairs.

Official Website of the Girl Scouts of the USA.

Troop 1500: The Real Deal on a Reality Movie.

Beyond Bars: Special Girl Scout Troop Helps Young Women Connect with Their Mothers in Prison.

Finding and Filming Your Passions: An Interview with Filmmaker Ellen Spiro, Part I.

and Filming Your Passions: An Interview with Filmmaker Ellen Spiro, Part II.

Troop 1500 Documentary on Texas Girl Scout Council Premieres at South By Southwest Film Festival.

Official Website of the Girl Scouts of the USA.

Emmy Award-Winning PBS Series Independent Lens to Host Broadcast Premiere of 'Troop 1500'.