Award-winning Actor, Writer, Producer, Filmmaker and Activist John Leguizamo, Azimuth Films, and Xfinity Announce Exclusive Premiere of the Documentary John Leguizamo Live at Rikers
September 18 2023 - 12:18PM
Business Wire
Available for streaming and On Demand for the
first time, original live performance footage and revealing
conversations shot on location serve to open a window into the
often unseen and unheard hopes and aspirations of the
incarcerated
Xfinity is excited to announce the exclusive
platform premiere of the documentary film John Leguizamo
Live at Rikers from award-winning actor, writer, producer,
filmmaker, and activist John Leguizamo, and director Elena Engel of
Azimuth Films. The documentary arrives Friday, September 15 on the
Black Experience on Xfinity Channel, available on Xfinity X1, Flex,
and on-the-go with the Xfinity Stream and Xumo apps, after a
one-week Academy Award-qualifying theatrical run.
This press release features multimedia. View
the full release here:
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230914381238/en/
John Leguizamo Live at Rikers (Graphic:
Business Wire)
In John Leguizamo Live at Rikers Leguizamo performs his
hit one-man Broadway show Ghetto Klown at Rikers Island
Correctional Facility for an audience of over 400 inmates.
Following the performance, Leguizamo leads intimate group
discussions with young men who are enrolled in Getting Out and
Staying Out (GOSO), an anti-recidivism program that provides 800
justice-involved young men with the services and resources they
need to further their education, secure meaningful employment, and
achieve emotional well-being. Participants in the program have
sustained recidivism rates at or below 15%, an incredible
achievement considering the annual rates of 64% among young men of
a similar age group nationwide.
This moving short documentary interweaves performance excerpts
with commentary from the inmates, as they identify with the
narrative truths of Leguizamo’s storytelling. Prison life, family,
education, profiling, mentorship and future dreams bring attention
to the serious challenges and the often- ignored humanity of those
incarcerated, while raising awareness about programs that exist to
reduce the revolving door of recidivism.
“When I first started acting, I didn’t just want to be an
entertainer, I wanted to be an artist. To me, that meant being a
mouthpiece for the voiceless, and standing up for those that
society overlooks,” explained Leguizamo, (in a statement made
before the current SAG AFTRA and WGA strikes). “After my
performance at Rikers, I realized that there are few individuals
more invisible than those who have been through America’s criminal
justice system. After performing and talking with these men, it’s
clear how much work still needs to be done to help lift them
up.”
Along with original live concert footage and revealing
conversations shot on location at the Rikers Complex, Leguizamo’s
emotionally raw, yet humorous, personal stories serve to open a
window into the often unseen and unheard struggles of those
incarcerated. These personal truths, voiced by the participants,
inspire others to consider the emotional and social issues of
incarceration.
“We were given a rare opportunity by the New York Department of
Corrections to film at the Rikers main auditorium for an audience
of 450 inmates and to interact with GOSO enrolled prisoners during
group discussions. During filming, Leguizamo’s obvious deep empathy
for these men opened a floodgate of truthful sharing as well as
laughter in a place where laughter is not often heard,” said
director/producer Engel. “I hope that the personal truths voiced by
the participants in our film will encourage others to look further
into the emotional and social issues of incarceration and to
appreciate when justice involved people have an opportunity to
communicate what matters most to them. There is enormous richness
to be found in their renewed self-esteem and a desire for a better
future.
As an accessible and positive role model, Leguizamo demonstrates
that it is possible to reinvent oneself and regain lost dignity
while encouraging his audience to “not hide behind the truth.” It’s
in these emotional moments that these young men, who are often
demonized even after fulfilling their debt to society dare to dream
about a better future in which they too become the heroes of their
own stories.
About Comcast Corporation
Comcast Corporation (Nasdaq: CMCSA) is a global media and
technology company. From the connectivity and platforms we provide,
to the content and experiences we create, our businesses reach
hundreds of millions of customers, viewers, and guests worldwide.
We deliver world-class broadband, wireless, and video through
Xfinity, Comcast Business, and Sky; produce, distribute, and stream
leading entertainment, sports, and news through brands including
NBC, Telemundo, Universal, Peacock, and Sky; and bring incredible
theme parks and attractions to life through Universal Destinations
& Experiences. Visit www.comcastcorporation.com for more
information.
View source
version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230914381238/en/
William Bell Comcast William_Bell2@comcast.com 347.730.7758
Jesse Metres Strategic Heights Media
Jesse@strategicheightsmedia.com 646.286.6589
Comcast (NASDAQ:CMCSA)
Historical Stock Chart
From Jun 2024 to Jul 2024
Comcast (NASDAQ:CMCSA)
Historical Stock Chart
From Jul 2023 to Jul 2024