Reel Affirmations Film Festival Centerpiece Feature: Free CeCe

Our Centerpiece Feature: Free CeCe Dir: Jacqueline Gares | 85 mins | USA I Producer Laverne Cox In June 2011, CeCe McDonald, a black trans woman, fell victim to a racist and transmisogynistic attack while passing by a local bar. Her attempts to defend herself resulted in the death of one of her assailants and a forty-one-month stint at a men’s prison for second degree manslaughter. Jac Gares’ inspiring and brilliantly directed documentary gives activists, including the film's producer Laverne Cox and CeCe herself, the chance to tell her story and address the daily struggle trans women of color face against a racist and transphobic society and equally violent criminal justice system. More than just a story of victimhood and injustice, “FREE CeCe!” celebrates her life and work, the massive outpouring of love and solidarity her case inspired, and the still-growing movement against transphobia and the prison industrial complex. After the film we will have a Q&A moderated by Earline Budd with Director Jacqueline Gares and (TBD) CeCe McDonald.