Free Public Film Screening of Sundance Featured Documentary

Online, April 25, 2011 (Newswire.com) - As the ACLU of Utah's annual Bill of Rights Celebration approaches, the public is invited to view, free of charge, "The Trials of Darryl Hunt," a riveting documentary based on the life of the Celebration's keynote speaker, Darryl Hunt.

The ACLU of Utah will partner with Peery's Egyptian Theater and the Center for Diversity and Unity at Weber State University to screen the documentary in Ogden. The Salt Lake City Major's Office of Diversity and Human Rights will join the ACLU of Utah to sponsor a screening in Salt Lake City. Both film screenings are free and open to the public.

The documentary chronicles a brutal 1984 rape and murder case in North Carolina, for which a young African-American man - a then 19-year-old Darryl Hunt, was wrongfully convicted. Mr. Hunt served for nearly 20 years before being fully exonerated by DNA evidence. The case, rife with racial tension and law enforcement mistakes, nearly tore apart the city of Winston-Salem.

Directed by Annie Sundberg and Ricki Stern, and produced by Break Thru Films, the documentary premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2006. Since then, it has been shown in countless communities and received significant critical praise. The film is an excellent vehicle for Mr. Hunt's message of forgiveness, hope and reform.

"Mr. Hunt's story, as told in this film, brings up so many important points about the need for criminal justice reform in our country, and about the persistent racial injustices that still plague our system," notes Anna Brower, Director of Development for the ACLU of Utah. "There are people in our state, too, who are the victims of abuses of power in the criminal justice system, like Darryl Hunt was. But he has found a way to transform his horrible experience into hope and progress on behalf of other people, and that can be very inspiring to us in Utah."

The free public screening in Ogden will be held on Tuesday, May 3, at the Peery's Egyptian Theatre. The theater is located at 2415 Washington Boulevard. Attendees can pay to park in the AMPCO Parking Garage located directly behind the Theater, or there is parking free of charge at the intersection of 24th and Grant St. There is also ample on-street parking.

The free public screening in Salt Lake City will be held on Friday, May 6, at the Sorenson Unity Center. The Unity Center (not to be confused with the Sorenson Multicultural Center) is located at 1383 S. 900 W. The entrance to the Unity Center, as well as parking for that location, can be access most easily from 900 West. Free refreshments will be available at this screening.

For more information, please visit www.acluutah.org, or contact Anna Brower at (801) 521-9862, ext. 100.