Bryan Stevenson Curates Films for Inaugural 'Playback: The Brooklyn Watch Party' Festival Highlighting Global Justice Issues
Bryan Stevenson, founder of the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI) and a law professor at New York University, is serving as a guest film curator for the inaugural 'Playback: The Brooklyn Watch Party' festival. The two-day event, co-hosted by filmmaker Spike Lee and New York Liberty/Brooklyn Nets owner Clara Wu Tsai, will take place from November 6-7 at the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM). Stevenson has selected films such as Mira Nair’s 'Salaam Bombay!' (1988) and Fernando Meirelles and Kátia Lund’s 'City of God' (2002) for screening. His choices aim to draw connections between global storytelling and the challenges within the U.S. criminal legal system, particularly focusing on systemic poverty, street violence, and the experiences of marginalized children. Stevenson, known for his civil rights work defending children prosecuted as adults, fighting mass incarceration, and challenging the death penalty, emphasizes that these films explore the humanity of individuals beyond their worst mistakes.
