Film shortlisted for the Academy Award debuts on Martin Luther King Day
Sedona AZ (January 6, 2017) – The Sedona International Film Festival is proud to partner with Sedona Friends Committee on National Legislation, League of Women Voters Greater Verde Valley and Sedona International City of Peace to present the Sedona premiere of the award-winning documentary “13th” on Martin Luther King Day: Monday, Jan. 16 at 7 p.m. at the Mary D. Fisher Theatre. Tickets are only $5 each for this special event.
Martin Luther King Day marks the perfect opportunity to — in his honor — ignite crucial social action with a presentation of “13th”, which was just shortlisted for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.
The film is a Netflix documentary that takes a thorough look at how via an exploitable loophole in the 13th amendment legal slavery was converted to another method of slavery and punishment for “criminals”; i.e. mass incarceration. Mass incarceration is destroying the fabric of our society. Come and learn more about the facts and learn what you can do about it today.
A community conversation will follow the screening.
Ava DuVernay’s extraordinary and galvanizing documentary “13th” is an in-depth look at the prison system in the United States and how it reveals the nation’s history of racial inequality.
The 13th Amendment to the Constitution reads “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States.” The progression from that second qualifying clause to the horrors of mass criminalization and the sprawling American prison industry is laid out by DuVernay with bracing lucidity. The film features a potent mixture of archival footage and testimony from a dazzling array of activists, politicians, historians, and formerly incarcerated women and men.
Director Ava DuVernay takes a never-before in depth look at the “American system of incarceration, specifically how the prison industrial complex affects people of color. The film builds its case piece by shattering piece, inspiring levels of shock and outrage that stun the viewer, leaving one shaken and disturbed before closing out on a visual note of hope designed to keep us on the hook as advocates for change.” (Roger Ebert Interview)
Presenting organizations of this special premiere include: The Sedona International City of Peace, the Sedona Advocacy Team of FCNL and the League of Women Voters Greater Verde Valley.
Sedona Advocacy Team of FCNL: Sedona Friends Committee on National Legislation is a non-partisan community advocacy organization that lobbies Congress and the administration to advance peace, justice, opportunity, and environmental stewardship.
League of Women Voters Greater Verde Valley is a non-partisan political organization dedicated to ensuring that all eligible voters, particularly those who are disenfranchised, have the opportunity and information to exercise their right to vote.
Sedona International City of Peace promotes a culture of peace through events, projects and publications that seek to raise awareness, expand collaboration, and engage our community in action.
“13th” will show on Monday, Jan. 16 at 7 p.m. at the Mary D. Fisher Theatre with a community conversation following the screening. Tickets for the film are specially priced at just $5. For tickets and more information, please call 928-282-1177. Both the theatre and film festival office are located at 2030 W. Hwy. 89A, in West Sedona. For more information, visit: www.SedonaFilmFestival.org.
