The Pan African Film Festival Launches World Premiere of "FREEWAY: CRACK IN THE SYSTEM" Documentary

ATLANTA - Feb. 2, 2015 - PRLog -- The Pan African Film Festival, World Bookings Talent Agency, Al Jazeera America, and the real Rick Ross aka Freeway Rick Ross cordially invite the public out to The Pan African Film & Arts Festival world premiere screening of Freeway Rick Ross' documentary,  "Freeway: Crack in the System" by award winning filmmaker Marc Levin on Saturday, February 7, 2015, at the RAVE CINEMAS, Baldwin Hills, in Los Angeles, California.  A Q&A will follow immediately after the screening of the documentary.  Guest speakers include Freeway Rick Ross, Mark Levin, Coach Cornell Ward, Coral Baca, and Robert Juarez.

FREEWAY: CRACK IN THE SYSTEM tells the story of broken dreams, drug dealers, dirty cops, and government complicity – more compelling than fiction, it's the real story behind America's drug war. This documentary by award-winning filmmaker Marc Levin (SLAM, Mr. Untouchable, Brick City) exposes how the infiltration of crack cocaine destroyed inner-city neighborhoods across the country. At the center of it all is the rise, fall, and redemption of Freeway Rick Ross – a street hustler who became the King of Crack – and Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Gary Webb, who broke the story of the CIA's complicity in the drug war, and whose story is currently explored in the Focus Features film, Kill the Messenger, starring Jeremy Renner. Featuring exclusive interviews with Freeway Rick Ross (not to be confused with the rapper who took his name); Webb's source Coral Baca, and wife Susan Webb; former Los Angeles Deputy Sheriff Roberto Juarez; drug trafficker Julio Zavala and many more. Featuring the original title track “Crack in the System” by Snoop Dogg and Too Short.  Al Jazeera America presents a Blowback Production in association with Royal Interactive Studios.

FREEWAY: CRACK IN THE SYSTEM. Run time is 103 min.  The screening is set to premiere in Los Angeles, Washington, DC and New York.

The documentary will air on Al Jazeera America Sunday, March 1, 2015 and Sunday March 8, 2015

Visit www.crackinthesystem.com to watch the trailer and learn more about the film.

About Al Jazeera America
Al Jazeera America is the new U.S. news channel that provides domestic and international news for American audiences. It is headquartered in New York City with bureaus in 12 cities across the United States.  Al Jazeera America is now available in over 60 million homes nationwide. Distributors include DirectV, Comcast, Time Warner Cable, DISH, AT&T U-verse, Verizon FiOS and Bright House Networks among others. To find Al Jazeera in your area, visit www.aljazeera.com/getajam.

Marc Levin
Marc Levin is an award winning independent filmmaker who brings narrative and verite techniques together in his feature films, television series and documentaries. Among the many honors for his work, he has won the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival, the Camera D’Or at Cannes, three National Emmys and four duPont-Columbia Awards. He serves as the director of Freeway: Crack in the System.

Freeway Rick Ross
Once considered one of the country's top drug kingpins, Ricky Donnell Ross, better known as "Freeway" Rick Ross, has transformed his life and launched the Freeway Literacy Foundation (www.freewayliteracy.org).  Now, instead of building a massive multimillion dollar drug empire, that once earned him $3 million-dollars-per-day, this drug kingpin-turned-philanthropist has turned his life completely around, and he is busy spreading messages of literacy, anti-drug and anti-violence across the United States.

Robert Juarez
Robert Juarez is a former LA County Deputy Sheriff and former federal prison inmate, is currently working with the LAPD by sharing his story and giving officers a glimpse into the repercussions of misusing your authority as a police officer.    He is now endorsed by Commander Bob Arcos of the LAPD and Commander Joe Hartshorne of the LA County Sheriffs Department who is also the Commander of Homeland Security.  This is epic.  This man was one of them, went to prison on corruption charges, and is now working and teaching them how to spot, avoid, and deter corruption in the police forces.

Cornell Ward
Cornel Ward was once one of the Freeway Boys.  However, he turned his life around and now he is known as Coach Cornell Ward, the executive of Unity One, a non-profit organization that is solely responsible for sending over 6,000 inner-city student athletes to Div 1, Div 1 AA, Div 2, and Div 3 schools across the country.   Endorsed by the NFL Congress, he has mentored and coached a plethora of athletes that played or are playing in the NFL over the last 20+ years. Such as NFL Ashley Palmer/S LB. Detroit, Lions- NFL Super Bowl MVP Larry Brown; Dallas, Cowboys – NFL SuperBowl Player Art Perkins, Jacksonville, Jaguars- NFL David Sutton, Miami, Dolphins and many, many more.  His 15-year relationship with College and NFL Legend, Coach and Super Bowl Champion Coach, Pete Carroll, has enabled him to mentor Coach Carroll on how to relate to and communicate with players from the inner city on and off the field.

Rave Cinemas Baldwin Hills
4020 Marlton Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90008

Media/Press Contact:
Angela P. Moore-Thorpe
APM Public Relations
www.apmpublicrelations.com
angiepr42@aol.com
770-733-2600

For Booking Opportunities Contact:
World Bookings Talent Agency
323-286-6711
412-908-2642
jwallace@world-bookings.com
rallen@world-bookings.com
http://www.world-bookings.com/