With so much of the presidential campaign centered on how to prevent attacks from oversees, violence in our own inner cities remains a topic often neglected by politicians on the national stage. One week before the presidential election, SnagFilms will offer a free online screening and discussion of a film that reminds us that the gun and gang-related violence demands immediate action. On Thursday, November 1st, Steve James' (Director of Hoop Dreams) The Interrupters will be presented as the sixth and final digital premiere of the Snag the Vote series. The film tells the inspiring story of a team of "violence interrupters" who work for CeaseFire, an innovative organization that takes on Chicago's ruthless streets.
Chicago has already equaled last year's homicide total at 435 murders, and with new incidents of gun violence occurring nearly every weekend. The Interrupters merits a national audience and a place in the presidential election dialogue.
The Social Screening™ will premiere the 125-minute theatrical version of the film for an online audience at 7 p.m. EDT/ 6 p.m. Central time at www.snagfilms.com/interrupters. The free online event will be followed by a live discussion featuring acclaimed director Steve James, producer and best-selling author Alex Kotlowitz (There Are No Children Here), Amy Ellenbogen, director of Crown Heights Meditation Center, which is home to S.O.S. Crown Heights, a New York-based CeaseFire replication, and Rudy Suggs, an S.O.S Crown Heights violence interrupter and long-time resident of the Brooklyn neighborhood. James and Kotlowitz will answer questions from the online audience.
"The Interrupters paradoxically succeeds because it refuses to soften reality..." writes the Los Angeles Times. "But it simultaneously insists, and makes you believe, that change is possible one person at a time." Through Kartemquin Films, the award-winning documentary will be available exclusively at SnagFilms.com for two weeks.
"I spent three years living in the neighborhood featured in The Interrupters," says Rick Allen, SnagFilms' CEO, "and while the murder rate in Chicago is particularly horrifying, the kind of violence depicted in the film plagues too many of our cities. We are honored to bring the full version of The Interrupters to a national audience -- and we hope it will focus attention on a true threat, and a promising response."
Violent crime on America's streets is a crisis that deserves far more national attention. Help to bring this persistent problem to the forefront of the public's consciousness by watching and sharing this world-class film.
Young Voters Reminded of Issues at Home One Week Before Election
With so much of the presidential campaign centered on how to prevent attacks from oversees, violence in our own inner cities remains a topic often neglected by politicians on the national stage.
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