this is "nightline." >> tonight, the american facing russian justice. locked behind bars after an online order he says went wrong. caught up in a system where convictions are almost always guaranteed. drawing strength through vivid illustrations. his fight to preserve life and love in the darkest of places. plus vida. >> after we bury mommy we can both go back to not talking. but for today just please. >> the pioneer cracking hollywood's glass ceiling, leading a powerhouse crews of latin and queer crew members on and off the screen. grandma couldn't come to the wedding. so one couple got creative.

this is one walk to remember. but first, the "nightline" 5. number one in just 60

itit's crepe day.day for our family at denny's. a family tradition we started about 22 minutes ago and now we can continue that tradition at home with denny's delivery. see you at denny's or dennys.com good evening. thank you for joining us. rarely do we see the inner workings of the russian justice system. a machine shrouded in secrecy and where it's reported fewer

than 1% of criminal trials end in not guilty verdicts. now one american's two-year odyssey in a moscow jail after an online order changed his life forever. moscow's detention center 3. >> according to him, it's worse than hell. >> reporter: few americans have ever seen inside it. but for one texas man because of a product he ordered online it has been home for almost two years. >> he's been severely beaten twice. right now i'm just tired and just want this to be over. >> reporter: this story charts one couple's fight against the russian justice system and how through drawings love can endure, transcending even the solitary confines of a jail cell. >> i just want them to give my husband back. >> reporter: this courtroom

hearing is one of galen grandstaff's rare moments out of prison and to see his wife. this 352-year-old american's nightmare began two years ago p while living and working with his wife in moscow he ordered a cleaning product online. and i ordered a bottle of cleaning chemical. >> he says he was offered the cleaner while he was buying medicine to treat his crohn the's disease on the chinese website ali express. >> we got a parcel that we ordered and we opened the door. immediately just a couple of minutes later banging on the door and we had four customs officials together with witnesses, translator. their on-call attorney. they all just rushed into our apartment, accusing gaylen that he smuggled something that is prohibited in russia.

>> reporter: what grandstaff says he didn't realize was that the cleaning product contained gamma butyrolactone, known as gbl. an industrial solvent, gbl is sold as an illegal party drug and sometimes as a muscle builder. it's banned in russia and many other countries as a narcotic. >> of course when they first told us this we were -- i mean, we just -- we couldn't believe it. >> reporter: russian police charged grandstaff with large-scale drug smuggling. the offense carries a possible 10 to 20-year prison sentence. >> i didn't know what was at risk. when they first came to my home i was also assured no one would take this seriously. it's so contrary to what we hear, you have rights. you don't have rights here. >> reporter: grandstaff was taken to jail that night. it was the start of almost two years inside. his wife anna left reeling and at the mercy of the russian

justice system. their life in russia now their personal hell. >> we met in south carolina in myrtle beach in 2007. >> reporter: they moved to russia in 2011 to be closer to anna's parents. gaylen like his wife worked as an english teacher. a former firefighter, for years he enjoyed his life in moscow. now, though, he was a foreigner in a russian detention center. >> the prisoners have their own rules. if you don't go along with it, then they mark you. you become what they call a red inmate. i've been attacked by a number of individuals who group together because i don't conform to their criminal lifestyle. despite my illness, i went for several months without any medical intervention whatsoever. i was harassed by guards on a constant basis. >> reporter: forbidden from writing in english, he turned to his hobby as an cartoonist to convey his experiences to anna.

>> when gaylen was put -- was first arrested, he started drawing this cartoon bears that he would send to me in his letters because i call him bear. he's a bear in them and he just uses them to show what's around him and how he feels. there are sad bears. there are happy bears. there are bears that are sleeping on the floor. i've been here for 62 days. i only got to walk outside 15 times. if you don't receive a food package, then there is no food for 24 hours. here the majority of people are narcotics dealers. very different. it's bad. we don't have anything in common. we'll see each other on monday, which is day 503.

but who's counting, right? i really miss our mornings together. my past life, it seems very far away to me now. i know i'm only complaining. i wish i had never come to russia. i'm too old for this. this one was drawn specifically for our anniversary. i don't want to remove it. i like it here. it kind of reminds me. of him. >> reporter: grandstaff's case might seem extraordinary, but experts say in fact it resembles tens of thousands of other drug cases affecting ordinary russians. human rights monitor eva merkocheva has been following the case.

>> reporter: but there seemed to be problems with grandstaff's case from the start. investigators accused grandstaff of buying the gbl for bodybuilding, a claim that seemed at odds with the large-scale drug smuggling charge. grandstaff was caught in a machine designed to convict. in russia fewer than 1% of criminal trials end in not guilty verdicts. >> they will convict him. just a matter of time, for how long. whether it's 10, whether it's 20. so it's totally up to the judge now. >> reporter: in march, almost 600 days into grandstaff's detention, the judge suddenly unexpectedly called an

unscheduled hearing. in the familiar courtroom cage grandstaff thought nothing had changed. then suddenly the judge began reading out problems with the prosecution's case. police had never searched his computer, never established what grandstaff's agreement with the seller was. she was sending the case back for further investigation. a miracle was sequelly unfolding before grandstaff's eyes. ♪ [ clapping ] grandstaff's release was so unexpected anna wasn't even in

court. >> it's okay. >> this is a little more like it. i can get used to being on this side. >> it's still a bit surreal. kind of hard to grasp. sometimes i feel like there's one of me here and one of me still in a cell somewhere because it just can't be real. >> reporter: how did grandstaff become one of the very few to avoid conviction? he believes it was a combination of his lawyer and the presence of the media, including abc news. >> i think the good defense coupled with publicity, i think that paid off. >> reporter: grandstaff's nightmare, though, is still not over. the case is formally still open. prosecutors have appealed the decision to free him. >> i'm very nervous even about going back to the appeal. i'm uneasy because i could walk into court free that day and walk back out in handcuffs.

>> reporter: for now the husband and wife will appreciate every moment together. and one final drawing. >> i have one new one you haven't seen. i'm still working on it. but it's my favorite one of all. >> grandstaff remains unable to leave russia as prosecutors seem to have ignored deadlines to resolve his case. it means he could be in limbo for months or even years to come. up next, "vida." a lifetime in the making, the groundbreaking director charging forward by changing how we see latin ex on screen. i was there, just not always where i needed to be. is she alright? i hope so. so i talked to my doctor about humira. i learned humira is for people who still have symptoms of crohn's disease after trying other medications. and the majority of people on humira saw significant symptom relief and many achieved remission

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tanya saracho is one of the few latina directors in show business. now she's looking to shape up the lack of diversity in hollywood by spotlighting a largely ignored community who are latinx, queer, and female. here's abc's linda lopez. >> reporter: on this hollywood set there is no question who's in charge. tanya saracho, making her directorial debut for starz' hit series "vida." ♪ a show that is unapologetically latin, queer, and female. >> i didn't grow up with like -- what was your favorite latina show? you know, growing up. i don't have an example. so to now be a part of reinjecting us back into that narrative, it feels very powerful. >> reporter: one of the only latina show runners in the business saracho began her tv career writing for shows like "how to get away with rd

and hbo's "look" where she also wrote and played the role of ceci. >> who's this adorable -- >> reporter: when you first came to hollywood to be a writer what was that experience like for you? >> i wasn't prepared mentally, emotionally. also culturally i didn't understand what it was to be the only person of color in the writer's room at first. >> reporter: but now with the help of her own show she's pioneering a new way of making television. changing not only what's on screen but who's creating it. >> starz is letting me build it how i want it, you know, with the right people behind the scenes and in front of the scenes. >> reporter: saracho's female-led ambition coming on the heels of an industry-wide dilemma surrounding the lack of diversity and opportunity in hollywood. a recent study found that of the top 1,200 films produced over the last decade only 4% of the directors were women. 46 in total. of those four were black, two

were asian, and only one was hispanic. those numbers triggering many in the industry to speak out. from the popular hashtag oscarsowhite to actresses joining the plea for inclusion. from ellen pompeo during a round table with porter magazine. >> i think it's up to all productions to make sure your crew looks like the world we see. as caucasian people it's our job. >> reporter: to viola davis at the emmys. >> the only thing that separates women of color from anyone else is opportunity. >> reporter: for saracho opportunity breeds authenticity. which is why she has hired mostly lgbtq women of color to write and produce "vida." >> my writer's room is all latinx. i use the term latinx because it's a gender inclusive term that doesn't use terms like latino or latinas. female, latina, all women, all

brown women, all latinas. >> reporter: the show focusing on the chaotic lives of two sisters forced to return to their childhood home in east los angeles after their mother's death. >> emma, after we bury mommy we can both go back to not talking but for today just please. >> reporter: the series unpacking provocative themes reflecting the issues that resonate with the writers. like sexual identity. >> when you find the right person you realize you don't have to change anything about yourself. >> reporter: saracho started production in 2016, when starz tapped the mexican-american to bring "vida" to life. >> whatever this crisis is, it's not a real thing. >> some people would say what you're doing with the show is radical. do you see it that way? >> i think it's radical but it's sad. it's sad that it's radical because the content, the world is the thing we haven't seen before. and that's the way we're making it. >> reporter: for saracho she says it feels like opportunity for women of color now rests on

her shoulders. >> it feels a little bit like a responsibility. if i don't like open the door to the castle then you know, we might not get in. >> reporter: why is that so important to you? >> we don't often have an uncle, you know, a godfather, you know, someone who opens that door. we've been told our own stories by other people with the dominant culture for too long. >> we're making herstory. >> yeah. >> reporter: for the actors the cultural and gender nuance of the show is revolutionary. >> you're part o a movement. you're representing your community. and you're telling a story that has never been told on tv before. >> and amazing female empowerment. like our boss is a woman. there's a bunch of women in charge. >> reporter: among those women is writer jennifer gomez. >> i think "vida" the code switching. like the bilingual thing we see on screen we haven't seen before. >> [ speaking foreign

language ]. >> it always breaks me up when you do that. >> reporter: do you think if it's a latina cast or all latina show that all audiences might not think they relate? >> i wish the otherness that does involve the show didn't keep people away. >> reporter: the idea of otherness is front and center in her show. ced plays eddie at one point coming face to face with a haunting reality. for ced, who identifies as gender non-binary, this scene is personal. >> it was very triggering because i know so many people in my own community who have been killed and who've been beaten. now's a chance i can be able to completely exorcise this out and heal myself through the acting process and through "vida." >> reporter: these stories blurring the lines between art and real life. >> in this political moment there's a lot of tension. there's a lot of negative stereotypes being put toward latinos. >> but that's why the show is so

important, to show that you can have a bunch of brown people and there's no gang member and killing and this and this and that. it's just human beings. >> and if you're not exposed to these neighborhoods and these people and all see is cheap labor or like sexy femme fatales or gang members of course you're going to be scared. >> we never open the door and be like this is what a home here looks like. and we do that here. and i like that. that it's like we're just the same. >> what do you think needs to come next, then, in the realm of representation when it comes to hollywood? >> the talent is here. the stories are here. we just need the big gatekeepers, the big decisionmakers to realize our stories are worth it. east l.a. brown queer world is worth it. that's what we need for all of us to see us. >> you can watch "vida" on starz. and next, the wedding day walk to remember for one bride and

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for the hawaiian airlines world elite mastercard. plus, you earn miles on everyday purchases. get closer to the travels and moments you'll remember forever with this special offer. need another reason? enjoy an introductory no annual fee. to apply, visit hawaiianairlines.com nd finaltoght, ary es lauren parks is walking down the aisle, which is actually the

hallway of her grandmother's care fit. you see the bride shares a close relationship with her 95-year-old grandma marie, who suffers from dementia and couldn't make it to the ceremony. so lauren brought the party to her. >> wedding cake. >> reporter: sharing a cake and lots of smiles. >> it's wedding cake, grandma. >> am i supposed to eat it? >> yeah. >> good for them. it was irish playwright george bernard shaw who said, "a happy family is but an earlier heaven." that's "nightline." you can always catch our full episodes on hulu.

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