Contact: Rabiah Burks
rburks@famm.org
202-822-6700
Busta Rhymes Hosts “Survivors Guide to Prison” Screening with FAMM, #Cut50, React To Film, YWCA Brooklyn, and Sankofa
BROOKLYN — Rapper and activist Busta Rhymes, in partnership with FAMM, #Cut50, React to Film, YWCA Brooklyn, and Sankofa, will host a special community screening of “Survivors Guide to Prison,” on Saturday, April 7 at the YWCA Brooklyn. The screening will be followed by a discussion with the film’s director and special guests.
“Survivors Guide to Prison” has been No. 1 on Amazon and in the Top 5 on iTunes. The film was written and directed by Oscar-nominated Matthew Cooke; executive-produced by Susan Sarandon; and produced by Steve Devore, David and Christina Arquette, Gina Belafonte, Jesse Williams, Danny Trejo, and Adrian Grenier. “Surviors Guide to Prison” features entertainment luminaries such as Busta Rhymes, Ice T, Chuck D, Q Tip, RZA, B Real, Patricia Arquette, Quincy Jones, Danny Glover, and Macklemore.
Busta Rhymes is one of the greatest rappers of all time, from his early collaborations with A Tribe Called Quest to his latest single, “Get It” with Missy Elliot. Rhymes is a long-time supporter of sentencing reform and is passionate about advocating against mandatory minimum sentencing laws.
Our Partners:
FAMM (Families Against Mandatory Minimums) is a nonpartisan, national advocacy organization that promotes fair and effective criminal justice reforms to make our communities safe. Founded in 1991, FAMM promotes change by raising the voices of families and individuals who are directly affected by counterproductive sentencing and prison policies.
#Cut50, an initiative of The Dream Corps, is a national bipartisan effort to reduce the number of people in prisons and jails while making our communities safer.
REACT to FILM educates youth through the power of documentary film to be engaged social citizens. RTF offers an elective curriculum for middle and high school, interactive modules, a college action screening network, educational guides, panel moderation, pre-release screening events, and more. www.REACTtoFILM.com
YWCA Brooklyn promotes racial justice and gender equality through advocacy, education, and activism. Community programming, including affordable housing, college access, economic development and immigrant services, addresses the intersection of race, gender, and class. The YWCA Brooklyn’s Social Justice Community Center is a nexus for over 60 progressive nonprofit and civic organizations, all committed to creating a more equitable world.
Sankofa is a social justice organization founded by Harry Belafonte that enlists the support of today’s most celebrated artists and influential individuals in collaboration with grassroots partners to elevate the voices of the disenfranchised and promote justice, peace, and equality.
Filmmakers:
Steve DeVore
Emmy-winning producer Steve DeVore has worked with some of the top commercial companies: In 2010, DeVore produced the award-winning film that won Russia the 2018 World Cup Hosting Nation. In 2012, DeVore won the Sports Emmy for the “Most Outstanding Live Special” with Fox Sports, producing stories for the 2011 World Series. DeVore was born and raised in Muscatine, Iowa, a small blue-collar town on the Mississippi River.
Matthew Cooke
Matthew Cooke has garnered over 100 million views on Facebook since 2015. Cooke’s first documentary as producer + editor was “Deliver Us From Evil,” directed by Amy Berg. It was Oscar-nominated, made more than 100 critics’ “best of” lists, and is one of Rotten Tomatoes Top 100 Best Reviewed Films of all time. Cooke’s writing + directorial debut, “How to Make Money Selling Drugs,” (Eminem, 50 Cent) won the International Documentary Association “Best Writing Award” and the Audience Award at every festival it screened.
There is no charge for media covering this event. To register, please contact Rabiah Burks at rburks@famm.org.
FAMM is a nonpartisan, national advocacy organization that promotes fair and effective criminal justice reforms to make our communities safe. Founded in 1991, FAMM promotes change by raising the voices of families and individuals who are directly affected by counterproductive sentencing and prison policies.
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