Westport Country Playhouse To Hold Free Movie Screening On MLK Day

WESTPORT, CT — Westport Country Playhouse will host a free screening of the 2019 documentary “True Justice: Bryan Stevenson’s Fight for Equality” at 7 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 19, in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

The event is part of the 20th annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration, presented in partnership with the Westport Library, TEAM Westport, the Westport Museum for History and Culture and the Westport/Weston Clergy Association.

The film received the Emmy Award for Outstanding Social Issue Documentary, along with a Peabody Award and the National Association for Multi-ethnicity in Communications’ Vision Award.
Following the screening, executive producer Trey Ellis, a Westport resident, will participate in a discussion with Harold Bailey Jr., a trustee of Westport Country Playhouse and chair of TEAM Westport. The program will include a question-and-answer session with the audience.

“True Justice” focuses on Bryan Stevenson, founder of the Equal Justice Initiative, and the organization’s work in the U.S. criminal justice system. The documentary examines legal cases involving people who have been wrongly convicted or received lengthy sentences and looks at the impact of those cases on the individuals involved.

Click here to view the film's trailer on YouTube.

The film also documents the opening of the Equal Justice Initiative’s Legacy Museum and the National Memorial for Peace and Justice in Montgomery, Alabama, which is dedicated to the more than 4,400 African American victims of lynching.

The 141-minute film is rated TV-MA. Admission is free with a reservation, available through the Westport Country Playhouse box office, calling the box office at 203-227-4177, or by visiting the website. Seating is available on a first-come, first-served basis.

The documentary is a co-production of HBO and Kunhardt Films and was produced and directed by Peter Kunhardt, George Kunhardt and Teddy Kunhardt. Executive producers include Trey Ellis and Peter Kunhardt.

Westport Country Playhouse is a nonprofit theater located at 25 Powers Court, off Route 1, in Westport. More information about other events is available at westportplayhouse.org.