Jada Pinkett-Smith’s ‘Free Angela’ Documentary Hits Theaters April 5th

See ‘Free Angela’ at AMC Theatres on April 5, 2013

Jada Pinkett-Smith is creating the change she wants to see. Her list of projects includes a powerful new documentary film, Free Angela and All Political Prisoners , which will be shown in select theaters on Friday, April 5th.

Directed by Shola Lynch , the film chronicles the life of extraordinary political activist and professor Angela Davis , who was branded a terrorist and jailed in 1970 for her affiliations with the Communist Party USA and Black Panther Party .

Executive-produced by Jada and Will Smith ‘s Overbook Entertainment and Jay-Z ‘s Roc Nation , the film debuted at the Toronto Film Festival last fall, as well as the London International Film Festival and Stockholm International Film Festival .

In January 2013, Free Angela was acquired by Codeblack , a subsidiary of Lionsgate focused on films that appeal to urban audiences. Read what Jada told CurlyNikki about the film below:

“‘Free Angela and All Political Prisoners’ is specifically about Angela Davis, who I think is one of the most fascinating women of our era. I think the aspect of this documentary that really fascinates me, is that I thought I knew the Angela Davis story and I did not.

There were a lot of shocking pieces about who she is as a woman and pieces about her trial and the movement itself that I was unaware of. The documentary actually came to me completed- it needed more money, a place to live… it needed distribution, which is why I came on board.

When we finally got it done, I was thinking to myself that this is a story that needs to be told. A story that is a really fascinating piece of American History and oftentimes, unfortunately, these stories are only put in the niche of African American History, or Black History, but this is actually American History.

It just happens to be centered around the civil rights movement. For me, I just felt like this was a really compelling part of our American History that needed to be told, that an African American woman is the center of, who happens to be the amazing Angela Davis!

After the theatrical release, which is rather extensive for a documentary, we’re hoping to make the documentary available to schools so that it may be shared in classrooms.”

Catch the film on April 5th at AMC Theaters in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, D.C., Detroit, Los Angeles, New York, and Philadelphia. To get tickets and check theaters near you, go to amctheatres.com .

If you’re not in any of those cities that day, Codeblack has partnered with Tugg , which allows users to pick a film they want to see in theaters and gather support for public screenings.

Additional screenings at other theaters will be made available through this partnership.

Watch the trailer and an exclusive clip from Moviefone below, which opens with a riveting speech by prominent and controversial French novelist/activist Jean Genet :

Watch: ‘Free Angela and All Political Prisoners’ Trailer

Watch: ‘Free Angela and All Political Prisoners’ Exclusive Clip

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