After serving eight years in prison, reformed gang leader S. Lance Ingram (Daniel Beaty) re-enters society and struggles to adapt to a changed Harlem. Living under the tough supervision of a parole officer in a halfway house, he is unable to find a job that will let him use the technological skills he gained in prison. Lance is forced to take a job delivering for a food pantry where he befriends Ms. Maddy (Loretta Devine), a strong and spirited grandmother, and assumes responsibility for her 15 year-old grandson Ty, a promising student who is pulled into a dangerous street gang. When gang members decide to punish Ty for disobeying the “law of the streets,” Lance risks sacrificing his “second chance” at freedom so that Ty can have a “first chance” at a better life.
With “Chapter & Verse,” director Jamal Joseph, a filmmaker, acclaimed author, film professor, community leader, activist and a Black Panther who spent time in prison as a result of his involvement in the organization, reflects upon what it means to forge your own destiny in an outwardly harsh society.
Opens in NY February 3rd, 2017 and opens in LA and additional cities February 10th, 2017
