About Byas
A journey shaped by incarceration, recovery,
and mentorship.
AboutAfter decades of incarceration for non-violent drug offences, 84-year-old Arthur now works as a peer mentor in recovery while navigating a complex relationship with his daughter.
About the Film
About Byas is a feature-length documentary that follows Arthur, an 84-year-old peer mentor and addiction counsellor in Milwaukee, and his daughter, Krystal. The film examines the long-term effects of mass incarceration, addiction, and systemic racial inequities, centering on one family’s journey toward understanding and reconciliation.
Through a combination of vérité footage and interviews, the film explores Arthur’s daily life, his work mentoring others, and his reflections on decades of incarceration. Krystal’s perspective offers a second-generation lens, revealing the impact of her father’s incarceration and the lingering questions she carries. Other participants, including Arthur’s former defense attorney, Paige Styler, and his coworker, Melissa, provide insight into both the personal and structural challenges that shape his story.
Our Team
Laj Waghray
Waghray is a filmmaker whose work spans documentary and experimental storytelling. In 2025, she participated in Firelight Media’s Groundwork Intensive, and from 2023–2025 she was part of Milwaukee Film’s Focus Finders cohort. She received support from the Brico Forward Fund and Marquette’s Emerging Filmmaker Fellowship, advancing the About Byas film. Her earlier work includes a residency with ARTservancy and the short film Together, Alone (2020). She is currently developing Searching for Sparrows, a feature documentary on disappearing bird habitats in Hyderabad. Previous projects include On Hands (2018) and Sleepovers (2012), along with collaborations on earlier documentary works. She also co-founded Didi and the Bitchitra Collective and has served on the board of Lynden Sculpture Garden.
Director & Producer
Dinesh Das Sabu
Dinesh Das Sabu is an independent documentary filmmaker and media artist. His feature and short work has appeared on PBS, HBO, and at numerous festivals worldwide. Dinesh co-produced his feature directorial debut, Unbroken Glass, with Chicago's Kartemquin Films. Unbroken Glass was screened at numerous film festivals and community-based events. Among its many distinctions, Dinesh won "Best Director" at the 2017 Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival, and the film was broadcast nationally on PBS’ America ReFramed in 2017. In 2014 Dinesh was a fellow in Firelight Media's Documentary Lab. He graduated from the University of Chicago in 2006 and earned his MFA in Documentary Film and Video from Stanford in 2019. He teaches at Marquette University in Milwaukee, WI.
Consulting Producer & Cinematographer
Co ProducerConor McIntyre
Conor McIntyre is a freelance filmmaker working on multiple projects in Milwaukee. He graduated from Marquette University with a bachelor’s degree in digital media, where he made several films and tried his hand at multiple genres, like animating a 60-second short about an escaped alien, which won Best Picture at Marquette University’s Film Festival. Yet, his true passion lay in creating socially conscious documentaries, such as his capstone film Redline, which explored segregation in Milwaukee by following a bus line and its riders.
Keegan Dufty
Keegan Dufty is a Chicago-based editor who recently graduated from DePaul University’s film school. Keegan carries with him a lifelong appreciation for the art of storytelling. He is drawn to documentary filmmaking for its aspirations to show commonality and beauty in the world around us, evoke empathy, and call for social change.
Editor
Breanna Taylor
Breanna Taylor is a Milwaukee-based interdisciplinary artist and executive assistant for Black Arts MKE, specializing in impact work and production. She has co-designed the Langston League's HBO ‘Lovecraft Country’ Unofficial Syllabus and the Companion Guide for Nia DaCosta’s ‘Candyman.’ Her curriculum and discussion guide credits include ‘When Claude Got Shot,’ Colorfarm's documentary ‘The Big Payback,’ Netflix's ‘African Queens: Njinga,’ and ‘The Angry Black Girl and her Monster.’ Additionally, she served as the associate producer and curriculum coordinator for the short documentary film ‘Black Strings’ and as a film co-facilitator for the Black Lens youth program, ‘Souls of Young Folks.’ Breanna was a member of the third cohort of Milwaukee Film's ‘Focus Finder Accelerated Film Program,’ working on a script for a horror short film. Breanna is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and New York University with a B.A. in Afro-American Studies with an arts emphasis and a Masters in Performance Studies.
Impact Producer
Support the Film
Thank you for your continued support in bringing this film to life. You can stay up to date with our progress by joining the email newsletter, and to make a contribution, please visit our fiscal sponsor’s page via the donate link below.