There is space available for the Sunday, February 13 screening, 3 PM at the Washington DCJCC (1529 16th St., NW at Q ). Call 202-939-0794 or email mfl@communitycinema-dc.org to reserve for that one. The filmmaker, Daniel H. Birman will be at both events.

Cyntoia Brown was an average teenager in an American town. But a series of bad decisions led the 16-year-old into a situation that ended with her killing a man who had picked her up for sex. She was sentenced to life in a Tennessee prison meaning, in her case, she will serve a minimum of 51 years. Me Facing Life: Cyntoia’s Story challenges our assumptions about violence and explores how factors such as biology and family history can doom some young people from the start. A Q & A session with the filmmaker, Daniel Birman and other guest speakers will follow the screening.

Panelists:

• Daniel H. Birman, the filmmaker
• Louis H. Henderson, a former foster child and vice president of Young People of Tomorrow, Inc.
• Angelica Salazar, juvenile justice policy associate for the Children’s Defense Fund
• K. Sharkira Washington, associate policy director for the Girls Initiative at the Rebecca Project for Human Rights.

Admission is FREE with a reservation: Call 202-939-0794 or click here.

Community Cinema [DC] hosts screenings each month (from October to June) at Busboys and Poets and the Washington DC Jewish Community Center. IPS’s Social Action & Leadership School for Activsts (SALSA) has served as community partner with Community Cinema [DC] since 2005. Screenings are followed by lively panel discussions that bring together citizens, organizations and public television stations to encourage dialogue and action around important and timely social issues.